


Player VS Player

by smiley_anon, Zalein



Series: River Crossings [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Battle Royale - Freeform, Everyone plays an MMO for reasons, Fluff, Gen, Semi-functional Friendship, Sequel, pre-relationship crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-04 10:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18602356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiley_anon/pseuds/smiley_anon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zalein/pseuds/Zalein
Summary: North was just going to check in on him--make sure he really wasn’t causing trouble. She hadn’t meant to start a war, but damned if she was going to back down now.





	1. The Grudge

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of people were expecting a dramatic showdown between everyone and Sixty while Side Quest was happening. This is for those people.

\---

**North**

\---

 

It was a little embarrassing, how out of practice North had gotten. Between the animals and the unending maze of trees, it took nearly an hour to find her way through the woods alone. When she reached the clearing’s edge, she paused, weapon out. On the one hand, even this piece of shit probably wouldn’t lay the same trap twice. On the other? She sure as hell wasn’t here to mimic  _ Markus _ .

 

“Hey, asshole!” North compromised, hand cupped around her mouth to shout. 

 

No answer. She waited a moment. Nudged through the leaves with the barrel of her gun. No oil, and no obvious bait, either.  _ Fuck it. _ She crossed the open ground quickly, rifle up, and kicked the cabin’s door wide.

 

The single room was large, dim... and completely empty. North glanced out the windows just in case. Kicked, irritated, at the grating in the unused hearth. 

 

...Apparently without the screaming torture victims, Connor’s evil twin  _ wasn’t _ easy to turn up.

 

Last time, this place had been the heart of an inferno. She’d been worried sick when she respawned outside of it, and relieved when Markus finally got back to her. He’d told her everything was taken care of, but it wasn’t until after they’d met up and logged out that he explained  _ how _ .

 

To say North was pissed was a massive fucking understatement. This wasn’t Connor, who’d struggled, deviated, and never looked back since. Connor tried.  _ This _ was the asshole who’d killed him. A piece of trash who’d hunted their people without pause--while using the contact information she gave  _ Connor _ to snipe at them with shitty little lies along the way. It had taken far too long for North to block the number, and even after Connor had explained his (weird as  _ hell _ ) body transfer, she still had to keep herself from snapping sometimes when she saw new messages turn up from that ID.

 

But no. Of course Markus hadn’t killed him.  _ Markus _ thought people could change. That Cyberlife’s lackey was no longer a danger. Never mind that he’d just tortured a couple dozen people from inside a video game.

 

Markus’ reassurances weren’t anything North planned to take on faith this time. And she wasn’t inclined to give everything Sixty had done already a pass, either. Not that she’d worked out what to do when she did catch up. She made a face at the fireplace. Did she actually want to  _ talk _ to that murdering shitsack?

 

...She didn’t. But she’d be even more pissed if she gave up now. 

 

North shouldered her rifle, spun on her heel, and stalked out of the abandoned shack. The clearing looked just as empty as before, and she surveyed it carefully before picking a direction to start out. Considering how much of the forest she’d traipsed through on her way in here, it shouldn’t take much longer to comb through the rest.

 

She’d find him. She’d say what she needed. And then? Maybe she’d get a chance to explain her side of things more thoroughly. With bullets.

 

\---

 

He wasn’t in the fucking woods.

 

\---

 

By the time North finally caught up, she’d nearly given up on the endeavor. She was taking a break, if nothing else: traveling to a spring Alice had shown her to restock consumable supplies. She rounded a corner, ducked under an outcropping, and… there he was. 

 

Back turned. Crouching to refill a canteen. The hat was gone, but Connor’s profile was distinctive, and she could see the glint of a familiar revolver at one hip. Besides, there couldn’t be more than one asshole in the game wearing a stupid villain coat like that.

 

For a moment, North only stared, unable to believe her luck. Then she called up her rifle. Leveled it towards his center of mass… and nudged her aim a  _ little _ lower. She felt her lips curving up in a sharp grin as she opened her mouth to call a warning--

 

\--when the fucker turned around.  _ And shot her. _

 

“What the  _ hell _ ?” 

 

North opened her eyes at her last warp point, mouth jerking open again in sheer, indignant shock. There was no one else in sight. She sat up, looked around--reached for her inventory to find her consumable supplies far lower than they’d been before. By a lot more than the usual penalty for dying. The shithead hadn’t just seen her--hadn’t just  _ shot _ her--

 

North shoved herself upright, snatching her rifle back from inventory with a growl. _Oh, no._ _This_ wasn’t _over_.

 

\---

 

The second time, she found him in Fort Laramie. She was headed for the trading post when she saw a figure in the crowd and squinted after him. 

 

‘ _ Hey Connor _ ,’ she sent, ’ _ Weren’t you and Josh going to be in talks all day? _ ’

 

An error message popped up in return:  _ Player Offline _ . She froze as the pieces clicked together: there was no stupid badguy coat, but Connor  _ always _ wore suspenders these days, whether he was in this game or out of it. His asshole copy didn’t have them. “Holy shit,” North muttered, grabbing for her rifle.

 

“Hey, Sixty!” she barked. “Stop right there and turn around!”

 

He paused, then glanced back with a look pointed enough to stab someone. North returned the glare.

 

“We need to talk,” she told him, walking forward.

 

His lips twisted. “You might need to.  _ I _ don’t.” He gave her rifle a withering glance before blatantly turning his back on her. 

 

He started walking. He--fuck this  _ bastard, _ he was  _ walking away _ .

 

“Oh,  _ screw you _ , asshole,” North growled, firing a warning shot. Dust sprang up from the ground by his feet, drawing startled sounds from players all around, and he stopped again, reversing abruptly and striding towards her. Even without his coat billowing around him, he was tall and cut a dramatic figure. (Good thing exposure to Markus had made North immune to being impressed.)

 

“Why?” His approach veered as he drew closer, starting to circle. North turned to continue facing him, rifle up and ready. “Because  _ you _ say so? Because you think you have anything to say that I need to hear?”

 

“We need to talk,” North repeated stubbornly. 

 

“ _ You _ want to talk. I have better things to do than coddle your delusions of importance.”

 

They were gathering a crowd, leaving a wide space around them where no one wanted to walk. From the corner of her eye she saw a tumbleweed roll past, which she ignored in favor of glaring at him.

 

“Listen, fuckhead, I’m here to make sure--”

 

She didn’t get to finish. Faster than anyone else she’d ever seen he drew a revolver and shot her  _ again _ , and the next thing she knew, Fort Laramie was gone. She was on her back in a field a few minutes away, her rifle was back in her inventory, and she’d lost even more supplies with the death. 

 

“I don’t fucking believe this,” North hissed, scrambling to her feet.

 

By the time she got back inside he was gone.

 

\---

The next time she found him, she played it smart. She’d caught the barest glimpse of him heading towards a cave she was coming out of, and threw herself behind a dead tree by the entrance, hoping against hope that he hadn’t seen her. His footsteps approached the cave, and by proxy her. 

They kept going. They went inside.

Only when she was absolutely sure he was gone did she breathe a sigh of relief, lips curling upwards unpleasantly. Then she took out her rifle, turning around and facing the cave. Eventually he’d come back out, and when he did, she’d have cover and he wouldn’t. If he tried anything--well, it sure as fuck was her turn to shoot him this time.

She waited.

A few people came out. More people went in. After a while she started seeing the same faces amidst the traffic coming out, and she frowned, picturing the cave’s general map. How long would he take to explore? Was he checking everything twice? Was there a puzzle she’d missed?

… More people left. North was just starting to wonder if he’d found another way out when something  _ thunk _ ed against the tree beside her. She glanced up and saw nothing, but there was a faint hissing sound. Immediately wary, she began to stand--

_BOOM!_ _Cra-a-ak-SH!_

A huge, heavy impact slammed North against the ground--hard enough she wondered if it would cause her to respawn. When she opened her eyes she was still there, and the tree she’d been hiding beside was now pushed off its roots, pinning her to the ground.

“Fuck,” she groaned. Her rifle was still in her hand, but trapped--with that whole arm--under the tree.

“I can’t believe that actually worked,” Sixty drawled, stepping into view. He was back in his dark coat again, twirling a revolver idly.

“What just…” An explosion. The hissing--that’d been the fuse on a stick of dynamite or something. She knew they existed here. North craned her head back toward the tree, before gritting her teeth and glaring at him. 

“How the hell did you get out of the cave? I saw you go in. I’ve been watching this whole time!”

Sixty paused, head tilting incredulously. “We’re in a  _ game _ , you idiot. Figure it out.”

That meant he’d used some kind of game mechanic to escape, like an item, or teleportation--

Oh. He’d teleported back to the access point, and she’d just sat there like a complete  _ moron  _ while he caught up. North’s cheeks were flaming, and if the fucker weren’t watching she’d bang her head on the tree. As it was, he smiled, falsely kind.

“There. Was that so hard?”

“Fuck you, you shitty-ass knockoff,” North spat.

The shithead snorted, mouth twisting. He took a step back, and without looking away from her, began to pace.

“Is this the only kind of planning you know how to do? Opportunistic idiocy that gets blasted to pieces by even the slightest common sense?”

North groaned, because god  _ dammit, _ was she going to have to sit here and listen to this? She pulled on her arm with the gun, growling, “I didn’t come here for your bullshit.” 

“Didn’t you?” Sixty lifted his eyebrows in mock surprise. “So much for talking. Or did you think  _ you _ would be the only one to speak?”

North pulled on her arm  _ hard _ , but it didn’t budge. After a few seconds, she recalled the rifle to her inventory, leaving sudden space under her to move that arm. She jerked it free, producing the rifle again where there was room--

\--only to see Connor’s asshole clone catch his revolver and point it calmly at her face. She stilled.

“You know… I thought I was underestimating you before.” He didn’t even  _ look _ at her rifle, staring her straight in the eye. “But now? It’s clear what a gross mistake  _ that _ was. If your friends are even half so incompetent, I could take on all of you at the same time without so much as a scratch.”

Insults and retorts crowded in her throat, everything from ‘Don’t blame me for Markus’ stupidity’ to ‘if you’re so great then how did Connor kick your ass so hard you lost your own body’. She opened her mouth to deliver one of these, eyes narrowing, and that’s when he pulled the trigger.

She opened her eyes in a forest clearing. 

“This is absolute  _ bullshit _ ,” North snarled, smashing a fist against the ground. This was the third time she’d had a gun on his position, and he’d turned the tables without batting an eye.

‘Talking’ was, admittedly, an increasingly low concern. No, what North really wanted? Was to finally pull the damn trigger herself.

She pushed herself up to sit, scowling. If she really wanted to do that, then she needed to catch him off guard. But every time she’d tried, he’d seen her coming. As much as it stung to admit, North… could probably do with some help.

…

… Well. In a way, he’d asked for it, hadn’t he? With that comment about friends. If it was his idea in the first place… no one could say that wasn’t  _ fair _ .

\---

Markus was alone in his cabin when she barged in without knocking. He’d been sitting by a crate with a tablet in hand, and he startled badly, half rising.

“What’s--” He stopped, then blinked at her. “... Oh. Hello, North.” 

“Markus.”

He looked down at the tablet, then quickly around the room, as though he’d forgotten what he was doing. North lifted an eyebrow, glancing at the tablet’s screen. The header looked vaguely familiar.

“Is that a report from Connor?” she prompted.

“Uh--yes.” Markus settled gingerly back onto the crate. That explained the surprise, then: Markus always zoned out reading Connor’s reports. It was odd, because while Connor’s status updates were dry, they weren’t  _ boring _ . “What’s going on, North? Is everything alright?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” she assured him, refocusing. “But Sixty just issued a challenge to us over Oregon Trail. I think we should accept.”

Markus blinked, then slowly put down the tablet. “... Sixty just  _ what _ ? North--what have you been  _ doing _ ?”

“I went to check on him.” North crossed her arms. “We talked. He said all of us put together couldn’t take him on, so we have to prove him wrong. When are you free?”

“Hold it, what do you mean ‘take him on’? Like--in a game playing sense?” Markus stood, holding a hand up as though to stop her physically.

“What other sense is there?” North returned, more darkly than she intended. “You made  _ sure _ he won’t be a problem in the future,  _ right _ ?”

Markus pressed his lips together, giving her a look. She stared right back at him until he sighed. 

“...He’s safe. For now. But I’m not so sure this is a good idea, North. Besides,” he continued, spreading his hands.”We’re also busy. Jericho is in the middle of trying to pave the road for a complete shift in society.”

“It’s not like we’re going to be doing this in the middle of some treaty, Markus,” North interrupted, wrinkling her nose faintly. “If you’re worried about Sixty acting out, then how about I ask Connor what he thinks? He’s the closest thing that we have to an expert on the subject. If he agrees, are you with me?”

Markus lowered his hands. “If Connor agrees…” He hesitated, frowning. “I don’t have any objections in general. A friendly challenge seems unlikely, but it would be better to address it than ignore whatever he’s up to.  He was silent for a moment. “... And we have all been too busy. We need to do things together. We need to  _ talk _ .”

“This would help us talk,” North agreed immediately. “And bond.”  _ And coordinate to take that asshole down, preferably feeding him his own teeth in the process.  _ Markus quirked an eyebrow, and North wondered how much of her thoughts was bleeding through the innocence she was trying to affect. (Probably a lot.) 

North turned to the door, calling over her shoulder. “Great. I’ll talk with Connor and the others, and text you with a time.”

“This is all assuming Connor agrees with you,” Markus told her retreating back. 

North waved without looking. “He will. See you later, Markus.”

She left. The communication chatter from the lower levels was getting heated, and she was due for a patrol. She’d call Connor after. 

\---

 

‘ _ Connor, we need to talk about Sixty.’ _

His reply was immediate. ‘ _ Is this an emergency?’ _

_ ‘No, but it can’t wait until tomorrow.’ _

_ ‘One moment.’ _

North folded her arms. The sun was going down, its last rays barely visible through her cabin’s cracked porthole.Connor and Josh were still on the mission Markus had given them, but she’d already looked up the time zone he was in.  _ Theoretically _ the negotiations with the deviant leaders for the New England area should have been finished for the day. Or at least coming to a break.

Eventually curiosity got the better of her. ‘ _ Are the treaty negotiations running long?’ _

_ ‘No, Josh is provoking a mob.’ _

_ ‘He’s  _ what?!’

Connor’s reply was to send her a picture. It was obviously one taken directly from his optical units, and it showed Josh standing his ground stubbornly in front of a small crowd of scruffy, unfriendly humans. The timestamp was less than a minute ago.

North sighed. ‘... _ Don’t let the idiot get hurt,’  _ she told him.  _ ‘Kick all their asses if you have to.’ _

Connor didn’t reply immediately, and now that she knew what was going on, she didn’t expect him to. North unfolded her arms, settling tensely down on a crate.

Finally, Connor sent a second picture. It was a shot looking over his shoulder, showing his arm dragging Josh bodily at what seemed to be a sprint. Much further behind them were the humans. Mouths were open in shouts, and a few were waving bats and crowbars, but they were too far away to reach the pair. (Especially if Connor kept up his pace.)

‘ _ We escaped,’ _ Connor reported redundantly. ‘ _ We’re at our shelter now.’ _

‘ _ Please tell me you cracked some of those assholes’ heads along the way.’ _

_ ‘Not exactly.’ _

_ ‘What do you mean?’ _

_ ‘It’s a little complicated. What was it you needed to talk about?’ _

North scrunched up her face, wishing Connor were there to glare at. 

‘ _ Sixty challenged us over Oregon Trail. I’m getting a headcount for who can help me kick his ass into next year.’ _

There was a pause. Then, ‘ _ What exactly do you mean by ‘challenged’?’ _

_ ‘Oh, you know. _ ’ She grimaced. ‘ _ Challenged. ‘I could take you all on’. ‘Even if you all tried at once you still couldn’t defeat me’.’  _ If this stupid thing was going to work at all, she  _ needed _ Connor’s shooting skill. On impulse, she added, ‘ _ Markus already said it sounds like a fun group activity, he’s just waiting on you all.’ _

Silence. It went on long enough that North pushed herself to her feet and started to pace.

‘ _ I was under the impression that Sixty was disinclined to interact with us,’  _ Connor finally said.

‘ _ What can I say?’  _ She raised her eyebrows and smoothed her expression, even though he wasn’t there to see. ‘ _ I’m very persuasive.’ _

Another pause, This one, at least, ended sooner.

‘ _ He’s competitive and you provoked him.’ _ North barked a startled laugh, rocking back on the crate. Despite everything, it was easy to forget sometimes that Connor had been built to analyze people. He continued: ‘ _ I’ll join. When are we meeting?’ _

_ ‘I haven’t figured that part out, yet.’  _ North was still smiling. ‘ _ I’ll tell you when I do.’ _

_ ‘Understood. Say hi to Markus for me.’ _

_ ‘I will.’  _ She stood. ‘ _ No love for Simon?’  _

‘ _ Simon also, of course,’ _ Connor answered quickly. 

She snorted a little. Connor was easy to wind up, sometimes. ‘ _I’ll be in touch.’_

Two down, two to go.

\---

Josh was next. He was initially reluctant, but when she promised he didn’t have to shoot anyone and could help with the support tasks, he agreed. She shouldn’t have been surprised; Josh was the one that’d pushed for her and the others to start playing the game originally, and she knew he still logged on when he could.

Simon, ironically, was the most difficult to convince. Mostly because he’d stopped believing in ‘free time’.

“You can’t honestly expect me to believe you don’t need some kind of stress relief,” North told him flatly.

Simon lifted his eyebrows, eyes at half-mast. “I do, but I don’t find the same glory in chaos that you seem to. What I need is to know our newest additions are safe, clothed, and sheltered.”

North’s eyebrows drew closer together. “That’s…” She looked at him. He looked the way he always did, which by human standards was ‘too exhausted to be functioning and yet somehow still here.’ “... Simon, waiting until this is all over to do anything but work means you’ll never stop.” He grimaced, but she didn’t back down. “You  _ know _ you need breaks, right?”

“I know,” Simon said quickly. “There’s just been a lot going on lately…”

She knew he’d been busy. Following Markus around as a part-time advisor (and clandestine bodyguard) meant that she’d had a front row to see as responsibilities shifted. Markus had been swept up more and more by public appeals and inter-city work, and handed off more of Jericho’s day to day affairs to Simon. But considering their recent numbers… and that Simon had  _ already _ been stretched thin...

“Simon,” North said slowly. “Please tell me you’ve been delegating instead of taking everything on yourself.” He looked guilty, and her frown deepened. “ _ Simon _ !”

“Don’t start,” he said shortly. “Just don’t.”

North closing her mouth on a flood of replies, jaw clenching. Then she let a slow breath out, and looked down her nose at him. “Alright...”

Simon eyed her, understandably wary.

“...though,” North added. “I do think that if I have to deal with Markus’ lectures on how ‘working ourselves like machines is no good for us’, and ‘exploring our creativity is part of what makes us complete individuals’, then I shouldn’t have to be the only one.”

“North,” Simon warned.

“He has a point,” North insisted, brushing her gentle mockery aside. “I want to keep everyone safe just as much as you do, but you shouldn’t be taking this on alone. Not even just for your own comfort, but for the stability of Jericho.”

Simon opened his mouth, then closed it, conflicted.

“What happens if you’re in charge of everything, and something happens to you?” North pointed out. “What happens if you burn out?”

Simon pressed his lips together reluctantly. “... I’ll talk with Nathan and Lucy about this tomorrow,” he conceded.

“I’m glad,” North told him honestly. Then she shifted, raising her eyebrows. “... Do you have any plans for how you want to spend your upcoming free time?”

Simon gave her a flat look that had the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. “Well, Nathan said one of the YKs had a stray cat that needs socializing.” North’s expression twitched, and he snorted, rolling his eyes. “...And I hear there’s something going on in Oregon Trail soon.”

“You heard correctly,” North said, smiling fully now. “How about tomorrow night? Our usual time before we stopped playing like we used to?”

Simon shrugged. “I’ll be available.”

“Good.” She reached forward, clapping a hand to his shoulder. “I’ll see you then.”

Simon made a vague sound of assent, waving her away. She snorted, and left.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, River Crossings has a [Discord channel at New ERA](https://discord.gg/GqvNzUm), now! Come chat with us and let us ping you with memes and updates. :D


	2. The Ambush

\---

**Connor-60**

\---

 

One meter wide. Half as much tall. The overgrown “spider” chittered angrily from its ledge, legs bunching up as if to leap… before disappearing with a _bang_ , and a cartoonish spatter of bright green.

 

Connor sighed, head thumping silently against the rocks as he leaned back.  _ ‘What part of “don’t be heard” was unclear?’ _

 

Despite his use of a channel that  _ wouldn't _ give her position away, Alice maintained her usual recalcitrance. She paused 1.8 seconds longer than usual, then scurried forward to retrieve the spoils from her kill. Small steps scuffed against the stone floor of the cave, and Connor made a face, unpeeling from his vantage point along the tunnel wall to join her. No, there wasn’t anything left in range to hear, but it was the principle of the thing.

 

Only a couple vials lingered in the center of the mess. Cave spiders were a notoriously low-yield kill, a fact that made the Cliffside Mines unpopular among most players. They were, however, an effective noise meter, agitating to attack only once a certain threshold of sound had been passed. After the better part of a week spent gritting his teeth as Alice crunched through leaves beside him, Connor had scouted out the site for practice.

 

She had, he grudgingly admitted, improved _slightly_. She’d been a scant few meters away when this particular hazard heard her, and he hadn’t needed to fire his own weapons since the first hall. Not that any of this made her performance adequate, of course. She turned back to him and he scowled, fingers tapping irritation against the side of one holster.

 

“If it were a wolf, it would have mauled you.” His lip curled. “Or an SQ800. You do know stopping and starting doesn’t make you _quiet_? Just slow.” It was practically a full-body stutter. 

 

Alice hung her head, mouth opening. He raised his eyebrows, and she paused… before visibly swallowing back the apology. _Good_. 

 

“Get close enough to touch it next time.” She eyed the greenish splatter apprehensively, and Connor rolled his eyes. “ _Before_ shooting, of course. Come on.” 

 

He didn’t look back. But when an intent pause was followed by softer, careful scuffs--a crude imitation of his own smooth gait--Connor slowed down a little. 

 

They backtracked one fork. Then two. The whole cave network was infested, making it easy to find a path they hadn’t cleared out yet. Alice was still lagging behind, and Connor leaned against the wall, waiting for her to make it over--when a distant  _ crack _ reverberated through the stone.

 

Gunfire.

 

No one else had been in the caves when they arrived. No one else had reason to be. Connor sat up straighter, carefully filtering the background noise from his audio processors. Were those voices?

 

...Probably a coincidence. Or maybe the SQ800s had tracked them down for another round. Easily dealt with in either case, but--a frown tugged at the corner of his expression as he stood. A revolver spun in his his hand: forward, back, picking up speed as he glanced down the hall. (When had he drawn it?)

 

“Alice,” he started, glancing down to where she’d finally caught up. Her fingers were curled tightly around the stock of her rifle, eyes trained on his expression--though she looked down as his attention turned her way. “Get started here. I’ll be a moment.”   
  
“I can help.” Quiet but insistent--especially for Alice. Had she heard the shot?

 

“Obviously,” he allowed. “But you need practice.” He offered her a smile: razor-sharp and utterly unsympathetic. “Unless you’re afraid you’ll get yourself killed the moment I turn the corner?”

 

Her head shook quickly. Was she actually… rolling her eyes? Connor blinked, impressed despite himself, and reached for his inventory.

 

“Catch.”

 

Alice’s gaze snapped up, appropriately wary. Her arms followed just in time to fumble with stiff fabric, awkwardly pinning the object between her rifle and her chest. The weapon vanished a moment later, freeing her hands to raise up a familiar black cowboy hat for inspection.

 

“Stealth boost,” Connor explained, offering another smirk. “ _Also_ a vapid travesty of a cliche.” There had been a (very) few advantages to his former status as an NPC. The enforced dress code wasn’t one of them. “Unfortunately for both of us, you’re just pathetic enough to need it.”

 

...The words didn’t seem to have the intended effect. Alice was staring at the hat: eyes wide, mouth open. Her LED spun blue. She turned the look on him, and Connor bristled.

 

“...I can…?”

 

“It’s a _loan_ ,” he snapped, tugging sharply at the edge of his coat. “And you owe me ammunition.”

 

She nodded slowly, losing not a fraction of the stupid expression. Connor sneered back and turned to stalk away. “Finish this hall by the time I get back.”

 

Only diligent silence answered.

 

\---

 

“...way too loud!”

 

“I thought you weren’t invested, Josh?”

 

“You know what, next time I’ll just  _ let _ it eat--”

 

Raised voices were as easy to track as any gunshots.  _ These _ voices, more so. They grated in the back of Connor’s processing as he slipped closer, discordant matches to half-integrated memories. _“You don’t have to leave.” “How could I trust you?”_ The WR400 at least featured in his own, more recent recall. Fortunate, how much the content had improved.

 

“Are we sure he’s here?”

 

_... _ Connor stopped. Stared at the rocky walls ahead: two more twists before his chosen side passage turned into the larger hall. The stone blinked back, glittering ore reflecting the light from his temple: a furious, churning yellow.

 

_Markus_.

 

Why the  _ fuck _ was Markus--?

 

“He was when we entered,” a fifth speaker confirmed. The sound was a perfect, eerie mirror to his  _ own _ voice, and Connor bristled, teeth baring against a reflected swirl of bright red. “The system pinged me to report the error: repeat instances of the same ID.”

 

...Connor should have known that Jericho’s smug despot wouldn’t leave what he’d done alone. That his worthless defect of a predecessor would only be too ready to assist. Connor should have dropped him off that cliff. He should have gone _further_ , planned better, found some exploit he could use to ruin them worse. He’d been complacent, and now Jericho’s entire leadership had come--to finish things? Or just make _changes_?

 

His gut clenched, as sharp and jagged as the gaps in his codebase. Connor could feel his expression contorting in--a sneer? A laugh? He wanted to laugh. They were still talking, even as his attention jumped back and forth. Still _oblivious_.

 

“...the same body,” The WR400 was saying. She had the  _ gall _ to sound annoyed.

 

His predecessor paused. “Technically--”

 

“Thank you, Connor,” Markus interrupted. “North? This is your show.”

 

...What?

 

“Do we really have to search like this?” The PJ model. “Sixty issued the challenge, right? Can’t you just message him?”

 

... _ What. _

 

“Don’t be stupid, Josh,” the WR400 dismissed. The same WR400 who’d been pestering him for the last week. The WR400 he’d shot three times already. Who’d looked all but ready to swear vengeance the last time Connor put her in her place.

 

_North_. This was _North’s_ show.

 

“He knows this is coming.” The false assurance in her voice was nearly _convincing_. Connor sneered, thumb running along the side of one revolver. “Besides, if we let him know when we’re nearby, he’ll set up some shitty ambush.” Their steps were moving past down the main hall, making no special effort to investigate the narrow side path he’d approached by.

 

“As opposed to the reverse?” Markus’ steps stumbled with a shift of clothing and an amused huff.

 

“ _He_ has it coming,” North insisted darkly.

 

The steps--and their accompanying discussion--were moving out of hearing range. (Though the  _ crack _ as someone shot another spider identified their choice of route.) Still, the PJ500’s voice floated distantly around the corner. 

 

“It’s five against one, North. I really don’t see why you’re worried...”

 

Her reply was unintelligible, but the irritation came through clearly. For once, Connor found himself _agreeing_. The footfalls receded as their conversation did, and soon enough, the halls were silent. 

 

Slowly, Connor exhaled. Carefully, he advanced into the hall. He glanced over the faint, scuffed tracks on its stone surface. He stared after the direction they had gone.

 

“...what the _fuck_.”

 

The words echoed in the empty corridor.

 

_ His _ challenge.  _ North’s _ show. The revolver in his hand spun forward and back, right and left--twirling around his grip at furious speed, as if to race the yellow circles of his LED. The Traci’s willingness to inflict harm had never been in question, and it was certainly possible she’d convinced the rest to put him down once and for all. But that didn’t match up to the lie, or the casual disregard with which they’d discussed it. If Markus had come to attempt some new sentence, he’d be far too self-important to let his lackey feign control.

 

Not an attack, then. And unlike North earlier, this group wasn’t even pretending they had come to  _ talk _ at him again. Connor scowled, gaze lingering on a green-spattered patch of the cave wall as he called up the most recent file.  _ “I could take on all of you…”  _

 

Was it actually  _ that _ simple?

 

...there was one way to find out.

 

Connor tossed the revolver up, catching it in his other hand with a sharp slap. _‘Alice?’_

 

The response was immediate.  _ ‘Yes?’ _

 

_ ‘Do you still want to help?’ _

 

\---

 

They’d made it two chambers in and one level down by the time Connor caught up. Most of it in the wrong direction. He slipped into the room and behind a column of dark stone just in time to catch the tail end of a pitched battle: the discharge of rifles warring with the screech of spiders, gunshot residue hanging thickly in the air.

 

North was laughing as the smoke cleared, an exhilarated peal that drew an answering huff from Markus and the PL unit. The PJ, Josh, was grimacing, picking what appeared to be a pair of mandibles off his clothing. Connor’s predecessor was the only one who seemed unaffected by their victory: eyes flicking steadily across the room, from one point of interest to the next.

 

Connor leaned out from behind his rock and shot him. Twice.

 

_“Connor--!”_ The shout went up before the body even hit the ground, and his lip curled. In the shadowed corner of the room his coat’s stealth bonus offered almost perfect concealment. Still, he pressed back behind the pillar, pitching his voice toward the ceiling of the cave.

 

“You called?”

 

“You fucking piece of--” North.  _ Definitely _ North, and Connor sighed, eyes shutting in brief incredulity as she fired three shots apparently at random. 

 

He reached past cover without looking, squeezed the trigger and smirked at the skittering of metal as her rifle hit the floor. She gave an enraged snarl-- _ almost _ loud enough to drown out Markus’ muttered “... _there_.”

 

The next shots hit the column he’d taken cover behind, and Connor turned, brows lifting as he backed away. More observant than expected--but it hardly made a difference at this stage. He raised both revolvers, barrels tipping just past the shelter of the stone to fire off a rapid burst. As expected, the deviants scrambled for cover, and he took the opportunity to dart back to the entrance.

 

“Really, you  _ should _ thank me,” he called out, flattening himself against the far side of the doorway as the report of rifle shots resumed. “Do you have any idea how easy it is to get lost down here? Especially with such a terrible guide.”

 

He’d replaced his predecessor. How entertaining. A pair of bullets _ping_ ed off the wall a foot away from his head, and he raised an eyebrow. They weren’t questioning his presence, or the reason behind the attack. But that wasn’t _confirmation_ , was it?

 

“What do you think, North?” He was rewarded with a skip in the firing pattern. Connor holstered one revolver, reaching for his inventory.

 

“When you accepted my _challenge_ ,” he went on, “did you think you would last one minute this time? Two?”

 

The rifle shots faltered: this time, from more than North’s gun. Markus’ voice cut in: puzzled and a little irritated. “This ti--”

 

Connor had heard enough. So had North, apparently: the next rifle shot exploded off the wall just to his left, showering him with chips of rock. Another followed rapidly, and Connor tracked the trajectories without looking: she’d stood and started stalking nearer, aiming to blast him away as soon as he lost the cover of the door.

 

“I _thought_ ,” she spat, “you needed taking down a peg.” Connor _hmmm_ ed encouragingly, freeing up a second hand. “I thought you’d make yourself an easy target.” The vicious tone swelled with a note of triumph as she drew close to the doorway. “Talk less next time, you self-important shit--”

 

He stood and lunged in one quick motion, body twisting sideways as she fired. The shot went wide, and he had one hand on the rifle’s barrel--another jamming up toward the weapon’s chamber as the bolt slid back. Up close, he could see North’s eyes widen, face contorting as she tried to tear her weapon from his grip.

 

Connor smiled sharply… and let go. She staggered back a couple paces, stare snapping up as he took his own ( _prudent_ ) step away. There was movement in the room past her, but between the doorway and their ally, the other deviants didn’t have a firing angle. (Or the skill to use one.)

 

Connor’s attention stayed on North. On the way she froze as she heard the quiet _hiss_. On the way her eyes flashed down to the vanishing flicker of flame...

 

The blast echoed through the cavern. Heat and sound cascaded in a wave, forcing Connor back another step into the tunnel. North wasn’t so lucky. She flew back into the cavern and hit the ground hard, a sharp  _ crack _ as one arm splayed out against the surface. 

 

Cries of alarm came from several sides, but it was Markus who appeared at her side, face creased in ( _pointless_ ) concern. “Can you--”

 

She batted back his hands with her good arm, stare lowering to the blast marks on her vest… and the scraps of metal scattered through the entryway. “My gun…!” The remains of the weapon shimmered out to nothing, and her gaze rose: shocked, enraged, and looking for a target.

 

It  _ would _ be a shame to let all that loathing go to waste. Connor stepped casually back into the cavern’s light, and North’s glare locked on him immediately. She jerked forward, slowed only a little by Markus’ cautionary grip. “What the  _ fuck _ did you do!?”

 

“Did you know…” he drawled out helpfully, “that even weak explosives have a chance of item damage here?” Teeth flashed, bright and pitying as he tapped one of his own guns. “It’s calculated by proximity to the blast.”

 

Her reply was vicious, short, and entirely obscene. Connor lifted an eyebrow and dropped it, voice and face both perfectly neutral as his gaze moved past. “Hello, Markus.”

 

The deviant leader was crouched behind North, stabilizing her broken arm despite her struggles.  His LED blinked yellow in silent communication, and at the address, his gaze came up. Connor could  _ see _ the microexpressions shift. Eyes hard. Brow furrowing just slightly. Smug, judgemental _ arrogance _ wrapped around him like a cloak. Just like before, and he opened his mouth--

 

Connor snapped up a gun and _squeezed_.

 

“ _Markus_!” 

 

More yelling. Connor spun the revolver absently, eyes caught by the slow trickle of thirium down the new corpse’s face. So that’s what it would have looked like. Light glinted in his periphery, and he jerked back a reflexive step, avoiding a blast from the PL600’s rifle. The weapon cocked again, and Connor smirked, turning to ghost back into the hallway.

 

“You’ll have to try harder than _that_.”

 

If the quick steps and harsh voices were much sign, they planned to. Connor ducked into the shadows and kept running, making sure his retreat was loud enough to hear.

 

Three chambers back. One level up. They found one of the shortcuts through a winding maze of conjoined tunnels, and Connor pressed himself into the shadows, waiting to advance until their focus had moved past. North’s arm had evidently been repaired. She seemed to be leading: giving short, sharp orders as she jabbed forward with a borrowed gun. The PJ500’s, presumably--that one was empty-handed, though it didn’t stop him chattering right back to the others, face plastered with sanctimonious concern. 

 

Connor waited until the pair with weapons had turned back to search. Then he emerged in full view and strolled past. The PJ’s flinch of surprise was almost comical, and well worth the lost distance as pursuit resumed.

 

It took a few more minutes to coax them up to ground level. By the time he had, Connor was beginning to wonder if it was worth the effort. Did they have any  _ idea _ how many times he could have shot them at this point? He squinted back past a rare shaft of natural light, revolver spinning faster in his hand as he considered. He still could. It would mean he’d called on Alice for no reason, but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t compensate her for the time.

 

...Speak of the devil. A notification popped up in the corner of his view, and he reached for his LED, turning to keep walking while he opened the message. As slowly as his would-be-opponents were moving, there were no forks in this hallway, and only a few side rooms. They couldn’t get  _ too _ lost.

 

_ ‘Connor?’ _

 

How helpful. He hoped she could read the annoyance in his reply.  _ ‘Yes?’ _

 

The pause drew out. He could practically hear Alice typing and deleting. Finally,  _ ‘Did you change clothes?’ _

 

Connor stopped abruptly--and a rock exploded just centimeters to his front. He hissed, diving forward into a roll as another cluster of shots hit the ground where he’d been standing. The tunnel opened to a wide chamber just ahead, and his gun snapped up, squeezing off a few quick shots in return. Each bullet  _ pinged _ back emptily against metallic ore, but Connor caught a glimpse of his duplicate ducking back behind cover. 

 

He didn’t stop moving. A moment later, another rifle  _ crack _ echoed from the opposite doorway. The shot went wide, but Markus’ returned silhouette was impossible to miss: coat billowing, hat framed by the lantern-light behind. How  _ pointlessly _ dramatic. Connor scoffed, compressing himself behind the nearest pillar.

 

_ ‘Connor???’ _

 

The warp point was outside the cave complex. Not too far for these two to have returned from, but for them to have found him so quickly… this was coordinated. Which meant the three behind should be picking up their pace. As if in answer to the thought, footsteps clattered into hearing range, and Connor huffed out a breath.

 

_ ‘No. Are you in position?’  _  She confirmed, and he reached for his second revolver, twirling it sharply as he twisted around.  _ ‘Stay there.’ _

 

He took a step back, both weapons twitching past the shelter of the column… and immediately, a bullet struck one revolver’s barrel, jolting it off-target. Connor tracked the vector and fired back with his second gun. By the time the other RK800 could bring his single firearm back in line, both revolvers were chipping away at the rocks’ cover, driving the rifle off target every time it appeared over the edge. Finally the weapon vanished--retreating for a better vantage--and Connor stepped back again, turning to run.

 

Another shot echoed from the doorway… and, again, went wide. Connor smirked as he veered sideways, coat blurring his outline into the shadowed edges of the room. Of course Markus of all androids would find  _ accuracy _ hard. Connor ducked into a smaller passage as bullets ricocheted off the wall-- this time, from the side of the cavern he’d come in by. North and her allies, caught up at last.

 

And with such perfect timing. The smaller tunnel twisted once, then twice, before descending: a set of steps  into a single large chamber. The space was designed to mimic some crude meeting hall, and benches descended in long rows toward a wooden platform at the far end.

 

No other entry. No other exit. Connor took cover behind the podium, eyes flicking up to the faint sheen of water on the ceiling as he counted the reflected LEDs that trailed him inside. The first came in a careless rush; the second followed, smooth but cautious, in its wake. North. His copy. One by one, Jericho’s deviants filed into the space after, guns leveling on his position.

 

How ironic, considering the  _ first _ time he’d seen this group assembled in one place. Connor shoved the memory back with the same ruthlessness reserved for the usual unwanted faults, fists flexing rigidly around his weapons. His eyes snapped left, where a glint of light marked a rifle’s barrel, finally in line. His predecessor was waiting. For Markus? North? Or was  _ he _ supposed to offer up a prompt? Connor’s lip curled, gaze drifting up a little further. To the ceiling, awash in glittering reflection… and the shadowed alcoves just below it. Spider nests: one meter wide in all directions, digging back into the rock. 

 

An outsized hat swallowed the glow of her LED, but Connor knew exactly where to look to find Alice staring down at him.

 

...His expression smoothed. He spun a revolver: once, twice, before he jammed it back into its holster. Silently, Connor prepared a meetup request, shifting back from cover just enough to cast a scornful look across the room beyond. North was stepping sideways to position her own shot, and she met his gaze with a smirk of her own. 

 

“Got you, shithead.”

 

Connor smiled brightly. “Do you?” She shouldered her rifle, and he leaned back out of sight, voice pitching past the obstruction. “What about  _ your _ body count? Markus…? Fifty-Three…?” Satisfaction flickered, bright and warm as the other Connor _twitched_. “...and you, of course. Are we keeping score?”

 

North scoffed. “I don’t think so.” Her voice hardened, angry and mocking as she circled. “You said you could take us on ‘without a scratch.’”

 

He had, hadn’t he? And also: she really  _ hadn’t _ told the others anything at all. Connor snorted. “How delightfully one-sided. I suppose--”

 

Wood exploded to the side of his head as North fired, blasting away a full third of his cover. Connor shot an affronted glare her way, and transmitted his meetup request. 

 

“If you’re begging for--”

 

Alice accepted, and a wash of polygons obscured his view.

 

“ _Shit--_ ”

 

North fired. His copy fired. The sounds vanished in one moment and returned in the next with an immediate, disorienting echo. Connor loaded back into the same kneeling crouch barely a dozen meters above his previous position, snatching immediately at the rough walls of the spider’s burrow to stabilize himself. Alice was at his side, rifle in hand, expression taut and crumpled. Jericho’s deviants were arrayed below. The center of the stage had been riddled with gunshot holes, and North was turning to her allies, completing a long string of furious invective.

 

“That fucking _coward_ \--”

 

Connor raised his revolver and squeezed the trigger. She dropped. The others stilled in confusion, and he brought his free hand up, fanning the hammer of the gun as the barrel twitched: once, twice, a third time. His final shot drilled a hole right through the side of Markus’ hat, and Connor lowered his weapon, taking in the view with satisfaction. His enemies collapsed in five synchronized heaps.

 

“Challenge _accepted_.” He smirked down at the bodies, holstering his revolver with a flourish before turning to face Alice. “Good work.”

 

Her throat worked, gaze skittering uncertainly across the corpses. “W-why were they…”

 

“The usual,” he dismissed briskly, squinting back into the nest. Was there an actual descent, or had she climbed up from the cavern? “Deluded idiots picking a fight they can’t win.” 

 

She didn’t look convinced. When her eyes stayed glued on the bodies, he gave a long sigh, rapping a gloved fist against the wall. 

 

“I told you about...” He pulled a face. “About _North_. Didn’t I?”

 

He had. Not by name, but Alice had seemed to recognize the description, and hadn’t questioned the events described. She nodded now, and if she still snuck a glance back, a little of the tension bled from her expression.

 

“So they just…” she murmured. “...for fun?”

 

“Presumably.” He sneered. “Now--”

 

“It’s ‘Sixty’, right?”

 

Connor froze. Turned, staring down at the cavern floor: where four bodies were shimmering away to pixels… and one was sitting up, rubbing at his forehead. The PJ500. Josh? Connor knew he hadn’t _missed_. Was he protected by some kind of item?

 

“No,” he answered. “It isn’t.” Without further preamble, Connor snatched a revolver from his belt and raised it, firing four times. The PJ jerked in place as each shot struck home, drilling bright blue holes through his head, chest, knee, and shoulder.

 

“...Ow?” The deviant looked down at the new hole where his pump should be. The damage looked simplistic--a round, featureless hole--and complaint aside, he wasn’t showing any signs of pain. Thirium leaked from the spot in a programmed cycle of simulated beats, and Josh raised a hand to prod at it with a disquieted grimace.

 

“You’ve edited your game code,” Connor observed in irritation. Or had Jericho’s egotist-in-chief done it for him? Connor’s eyes narrowed, spite seething out of his vocalizer. “Of course. If someone else can modify this place, they’re a problem to be  _ fixed. _ But when it comes to Markus’ _friends_ \--”

 

“Are you seriously--” the PJ sputtered, voice rising in incredulity. “You were-- _torturing_...” 

 

Connor lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. The deviant sighed.

 

“... Anyway, Markus didn’t have anything to do with it.” He pushed himself up to a half crouch, squinting to their alcove with an expression that was probably meant as reproachful. The shot knee lagged as he moved; it seemed broken. 

 

Connor wondered how many bullets it would take to make his other side match up. “Do you expect me to believe you managed on your own?” Even using his own code as a backdoor, it had taken  _ Connor _ a solid week of targeted insertions just to change the settings for one region. For this invulnerability cheat to work on any random map… did they have some kind of administrative privileges here?

 

“Not exactly.” Josh hobbled a couple steps before sitting down at the edge of the stage, disgustingly unthreatened by the gun. _Guns_ , now: Alice had flattened back down, rifle trained on his position. Connor kept any approval off his face.

 

“I don’t know how much your side told you.” The PJ spoke slowly, LED a yellow swirl. “But a while back, Cyberlife put us all in stasis through Oregon Trail. Connor helped us fix it, but there was this fight. Their AI tampered with some code to turn us against each other.” He grimaced. “She must have--”

 

A shot echoed through the chamber, and Josh jerked in place again. Connor’s gaze twitched down to Alice… only to find her staring back at him, rifle unfired. The wisp of smoke came from his  _ own _ revolver, barrel trembling in a shaking fist. Connor became suddenly aware of the sharp chill with which the metal dug into his hand. The icy  _ ache _ swallowing his center. He opened his mouth, but the freeze had spread to his throat, choking his voice as the stone around him blinked with bright reflections. Red, yellow, red, red,  _ red, Amanda-- _

 

Connor fired again. Then again. By the time the PJ managed to look up,  _ red _ had swirled back to _yellow_ , face blanked with sheer loathing.

 

“Uh--”

 

“Did I  _ ask _ for your fucking story?”

 

The deviant opened his mouth, doubtless to say something contrary. Connor’s glare burned downward at him until he closed it. Connor hadn’t asked. He  _ wasn’t _ asking. He didn’t need to know how his defective precursor had saved them, or what (clearly _insufficient_ ) harm the group endured. 

 

(He didn’t need to know  _ why _ Amanda had--when he was there, was _loyal_ \--)

 

Red blinked again and he wiped the thoughts, arresting the impulse to squeeze the trigger a fourth time. His fist was still locked rigidly around the gun, but Connor lowered it, sneering at the PJ. 

 

“You can’t die here. And you aren’t fighting?”

 

The deviant frowned. “I don’t believe in--”

 

“Then you’re useless,” Connor dismissed, free hand waving a sharp line across the air. “ _You_ don’t count.” The other model’s face pinched indignantly, mouth opening and closing. Connor smiled brightly back, waiting one spin of a revolver before he holstered his gun and kept speaking.

 

“If the rest of your pathetic group enjoys dying?” He sneered. “Then you’re welcome to keep trying. But try to make it a little more of a challenge.”

 

Silently, he sent a warp point location to Alice. She confirmed, and Connor reached for his LED. The last thing he heard was an aggrieved sigh.

 

“Being  _ peaceful _ doesn’t--”

 

The world blurred out and in again, cutting off the grating chatter. It resolved to an empty road in the mountains, one he knew from experience had a useful trading post not far along. A scatter of polygons announced Alice’s arrival, and he spoke without turning.

 

“We’ll resupply, then circle back. They should have cleared out by then.” Silence met his instruction, punctuated only by an awkward shift. Connor glanced back, raising an eyebrow. “Unless you need to log off?”

 

Alice shook her head. Her gun was back in inventory, one hand curling uneasily around the brim of the dark hat. She peered up from beneath it. “Are... you…”

 

A simulated muscle spasmed in his face.  _ Whatever _ she saw was apparently enough to stall that line of inquiry, and she swallowed, eyes flicking down, then up as she corrected. “...Do you think they’ll come back?”

 

Connor’s expression soured. He considered Markus’ arrogance. His duplicate’s interrogation. North’s persistent, fumbling pursuit... and just how quickly her pretense of ‘talking’ fell away. He’d known she would hold a grudge, but he hadn’t expected she would actually find a way to  _ do _ something about it.

 

...And yet, because she had, he’d gotten to shoot Markus. And his predecessor. _Twice_.

 

Something twitched at the edges of his mouth. “ _Obviously_.” Connor scoffed, turning to start down the road. “Are you coming?”

 

Soft footsteps quickly followed behind him.

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zalein made a watercolor of Alice from this chapter! You can see it [here.](https://nirelaz.tumblr.com/post/184567182854/whats-up-my-friends-i-painted-this-as-a-scene)


	3. The Hunt

\---

**North**

\---

 

North opened her eyes, screwed her face up, and hissed. “That fucking  _ shithead _ !” The words were swallowed up almost immediately by the vegetation around them. Polygons shimmered--and Simon appeared next to her, Connor pushing himself to his feet not far away. “That  _ bastard _ !” she said even louder. “I’m gonna fucking  _ kill him _ , I’m going to feed him his own damn revolvers and see how easy it is for him to gloat with his damn new set of metal teeth!”

 

“That didn’t go well,” Simon sighed. 

 

“No fucking  _ shit _ ,” she snapped, head swiveling around to face him. “Did either of you at least get a shot in?”

 

“Did you?” asked Simon flatly. Off to one side, Connor shook his head, and Markus took that moment to appear, sitting up and immediately pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Mother _ fucker _ ,” North complained, shoving herself to her feet. “Which way was the mine--let’s go, now, while we’re all still in the same area.”

 

“We’re still waiting for Josh, and I don’t think I actually have time tonight for another... ‘raid’,” Markus countered wearily. 

 

North clenched her fists, biting back her first response. “... Not even a  _ short _ one?” she gritted. “Josh will be here any second, and we know where to go!”

 

Markus shook his head.

 

Well… Fuck everything. North looked around, before kicking at an inoffensive bush near her. Its thin trunk cracked, listing at an angle, and she made a frustrated, disgusted sound at the world at large.

 

No one left before Josh eventually sent over a meeting request. The explanation for his delay was weird: apparently out of all of them,  _ he _ couldn’t die here? North shook her head sourly, and kept her thoughts to herself. 

 

One by one, the others logged off, vanishing in a mist of polygons and lights. North sighed, flipping her braid over one shoulder as she surveyed the clearing resentfully. She was just reaching to log out herself when a private message arrived. It was from… Alice?

 

‘ _ Hi North!’ _

 

The corners of North’s mouth curled up reluctantly, and she glanced at her internal clock one more time before answering.

 

‘ _ Hi Alice! What are you doing up this late?’ _

 

_ ‘Just playing. You?’ _

 

North flicked a dark glance at the vegetation. ‘ _ Oh, nothing much. I--’ _

 

She broke off without sending. Alice had been wanting to play with her for weeks, but North had been too busy to so much as consider it. The fact that Alice had managed to message her in the game had already left North feeling oddly exposed. If North told her the truth now, would Alice feel left out?

 

In the end North answered, ‘ _ Nothing much. Just checking something real quick. Everyone’s been really busy. How are you?’ _

 

There was a pause, but not long enough to remark on. Alice was probably busy while she chatted.

 

‘ _ I’m okay. I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting rattlesnakes sometime soon? Or farming? :D’ _

 

North grimaced, feeling guilt make a home in her chest. It wasn’t that she didn’t  _ want _ to. She just didn’t have time. Her visit now was--unusual. It was a special occasion.

 

‘ _ Sure. Can I get back to you on when? This week is pretty crazy, and I was lucky to get online at all.’ _

 

There was a longer pause. Then… ‘ _ Of course! Just let me know.’ _

 

North grimaced a little. Maybe she could show up a few minutes early to the next raid? It wouldn’t be a long session playing with her, but…

 

… She glanced at her clock, then outright scowled. Markus had a meeting in three hours, and she needed to help him plan. He was fine at arguing people down from a standstill, but coming up with alternatives that would  _ work _ …

 

She forwent saying anything about the raid. She was lucky she had time for it at all.

 

‘ _ Okay! I’ll text you. I’m signing off, now. Say hi to Kara and Luther for me! :)’ _

 

_ ‘You too!!! Say hi to everyone.’ _

 

North smiled, sent her one last ‘goodnight’, and signed off.

 

\---

**Simon**

\---

 

‘ _ He’s in this area,’ _ Connor sent the group chat. 

 

North jerked her head around, as though she might see him stepping out from behind one of the many trees around them. The forest was already quiet, and when Markus’ soft conversation with Josh died the silence hung thick in the air. They all stopped walking. Simon touched the bandana at his neck ( _ ‘Stealth Boost!’ _ its sales description had read), listening hard. He couldn’t hear any movement outside of their little group.

 

“You got the error?” Markus murmured. Connor nodded, and Markus returned the gesture, sending his next words to the soundless group chat. 

 

‘ _ Alright. Is everyone ready?’ _

 

_ ‘I am,’ _ Simon replied. He tugged the bandana up over his nose. He didn’t feel any different, but North’s glance at him narrowed to a squint, and when he stepped back the leaves underfoot barely rustled.

 

‘ _ Good _ .’ Markus nodded in his direction, turning to the rest of the group. ‘ _ Everyone else?’ _

 

‘ _ Hell yes.’  _ North produced her rifle from inventory, and Connor followed suit.

 

‘ _ Good. Josh?’ _

 

Josh lifted his empty hands, stepping back. ‘ _ I’ll just stay out of the way.’ _

 

Connor glanced at his rifle, lips pressed together. He’d tried to persuade Josh to participate more actively given no one was actually getting hurt, but Josh still refused. Simon wanted to remark to himself about monsters and foiled plans... but getting Josh to play a video game like the rest of them was hardly much plan, and Connor had been more patient about it than Simon had expected. 

 

‘ _ Good,’  _ Markus said. He turned to the rest. ‘ _ I’ll be in front of Josh. If my hat’s bonus helps me to see Sixty, I’ll sound the alarm.’ _

 

‘ _ That’s great,’ _ said North impatiently. ‘ _ Are we going, or what?’ _

  
They were. North started walking, Connor at her side and barely half a pace behind. Then came Markus, then Josh. Once they were far enough that Simon was having difficulty watching them through the trees, Simon followed. He kept to the shadowed spaces off the path, maintaining distance from the others.

 

It was a good thing he did. The first actual sign of Sixty was a bullet catching North in the head. She dropped, “dead” in an instant, and immediately Connor dove for cover. 

 

Markus followed suit, and Josh, who’d been standing immediately beside him, was hit instead. Just as he’d described last time, a wound burst into view on Josh’s shoulder, but he kept moving, apparently unaffected. Josh ducked beneath a half-fallen tree, and Simon clenched his hands into fists, mouth twisting unhappily. Seeing his friends get shot this way, even as digital representations... 

 

… He swallowed hard and squinted, trying to figure out the trajectories. He would  _ try _ not to think about it.

 

‘ _ Argh, fuck everything!’  _ North complained in the chat. ‘ _ I hope you guys blast this shithead’s skull to pieces.’ _

 

Markus crept forward to look out from behind the tree, but the instant he did a bullet shredded bark by his face, knocking his hat askew. He scowled, grabbing the hat and steadying it.

 

‘ _ Wait until I give you cover!’  _ Connor sent sharply. 

 

‘ _ Be my guest,’ _ Markus shot back.

 

Connor’s head twitched, as though sending Markus a look, but otherwise no one said anything until the revolver-fire stopped. At that, Connor snaked around to his tree’s other side, bringing up his rifle. He started to ease out to take aim--and was forced back into hiding almost immediately with a bullet that almost caught his face. 

 

‘ _ Now?’  _ Markus asked. He was shifting restlessly.

 

‘ _ No. Hold on.’ _

 

The shooting from Sixty’s end stopped again. Connor waited, fingers ticking some frenetic countdown along the side of his rifle. When the shooting restarted, it grazed the tree by his head, at an angle Simon hadn’t realized was possible. Connor startled badly, scrambling to adjust his cover.

 

‘ _ He’s moved!’ _ he said immediately. ‘ _ Watch out.’ _

 

_ ‘I’m going to look,’ _ Markus declared.

 

‘ _ Markus,  _ stop _! If you’re shot, we’ll have no one left who can find him at all!’ _

 

_ ‘And if we sit around waiting for a good moment, we’ll be here all night,’ _ Markus retorted. 

 

Connor didn’t reply. Then, ‘ _ Josh. Can you draw Sixty’s fire while Markus looks?’ _

 

_ ‘Um.’  _ Josh looked around, mouth pressed in a disgruntled line. ‘ _ Sure.’ _

 

A little reluctantly, Josh leaned out from behind his own tree… and was promptly shot in the head. He drew back and swore, pressing his hand over the hole now spouting thirium. The flow seemed to stop, but his face was covered in blue.

 

‘ _ Are you okay?’ _ Simon demanded. 

 

_ ‘I’m fine.’ _ Josh cautiously removed the hand... and the flow of thirium resumed. His hand wavered in the air before dropping, apparently electing to ignore it. He didn’t  _ look _ like he was in pain. ‘ _ I can’t tell where to look.’ _

 

Connor said,  _ ‘Just call out to him, maybe wave. You don’t have to know where he is for him to hear you talk.’ _

 

_ ‘... I’ll see what I can do.’  _ Simon couldn’t hear him sigh, but he saw Josh’s shoulders move before he stood up again, turning forward.

 

Immediately he was shot again, once in the shoulder and twice in the gut. Markus leaned around the far side of his own tree, staying as close to the ground as he could. Josh coughed, then waved his arms as though getting a lecture hall’s attention, projecting his voice through the trees.

 

“Sixty! It’s me, Josh. Don’t shoot, I need to tell you--”

 

The distraction didn’t work well: Josh took a bullet in the throat for his efforts, and after a few seconds Markus stiffened, shot in the face. Simon covered his mouth with his hand, gaze skittering away from the body. He vaguely noticed Connor turning away too.

 

After a seconds’ pause Markus texted the group, ‘ _ He’s in a copse of trees off to the left. I’m sending a photo.’ _

 

_ Markus has sent 1223122_20381221.tiv. Accept? [Y/N] _

 

_ [Y]. _

 

North wrote, ‘ _ Godammit, he was  _ right there _? I couldn’t see him. It all looked like shadows.’ _

 

_ ‘If that’s all the distraction we need, I’m sitting back down,’ _ Josh announced.

 

‘ _ Thanks Josh,’  _ Markus replied. ‘ _ Connor? Simon?’ _

 

_ ‘I’ll keep him pinned down,’ _ wrote Connor. He was frowning deeply, and his expression was less confident than his words. ‘ _ Simon can line up a shot while he’s distracted.’ _

 

_ ‘Got it,’ _ Simon answered shortly.

 

The bullets had paused, and Connor listened intently for a few seconds before darting rapidly from cover. He’d already crossed four steps before the gunfire started, and nearly every bullet met some obstacle or another. He’d chosen a good route.

 

Connor dove across another span of open area, came up in a roll, then brought his rifle up around a tree, returning fire. ‘ _ Simon, move into position.’ _

 

Simon made a face, but did as he said, creeping soundlessly forward. The shooting came in intermittent bursts, but neither of them seemed able to step out of cover. Slowly he closed in, until Simon was close enough to make out a shadowy, vague shape crouching behind a fallen log. 

 

Simon knelt, drawing his rifle from inventory. For a moment he froze, wondering if the light would draw attention, but Sixty’s attention didn’t shift. 

 

Something else did. There was a faint rustling nearby, and he waited a few seconds longer, listening intently. 

 

… Nothing. Ansty with nerves, Simon brought his rifle up, increasingly aware of how easily Sixty could turn around and shoot him. The bush he’d crawled behind offered concealment, but little cover, and his stealth items wouldn’t work against any real scrutiny at this range.

 

Simon braced his rifle, lined up his shot… and a few leaves drifted down beside him. 

 

Like an  _ idiot _ he stopped to look up.

 

A… small child sat in the branches of the nearest tree. A YK model. She looked vaguely familiar (most androids did), and she was holding a rifle. Simon had a split second to wonder if she was going to shoot at him or Sixty--before the barrel leveled towards his face. The muzzle flared, the world went dark, and the next thing he knew, he was staring up at the canopy of a clearing they’d passed long since.

 

“…Not friendly,” Simon groaned, pressing his hands over his face.

 

“What was that?” North demanded. “I thought you had him!”

 

Simon grimaced. “I thought so too,” he sighed.

 

Connor materialized a few feet to his side, lying on the ground. He rubbed the heel of his hand against his chest as he sat up, frowning. “What happened?”

 

“He wasn’t alone. A… little girl shot me.”

 

“Little  _ girl _ ?” North’s mouth dropped open, and uncrossed her arms abruptly. “… _ Alice _ was there?!”

 

“Alice?” Simon repeated, eyebrows shooting up. Didn’t he know a child called Alice? … Memories from Jericho’s hold filtered back slowly from long term storage. Wasn’t she… Kara’s?

 

“Oh…” said Markus, more thoughtful than shocked. He was grimacing faintly.  “That would actually… make sense…”

 

“How?” Simon’s brow furrowed. Josh materialized a few feet away, but Simon only gave him the barest glance. The bullet holes and thirium seemed to have vanished, but some damage remained: Josh pressed a biocomponent to his throat, fixing it. 

 

“It doesn’t make sense,” North growled. “She wouldn’t stay anywhere near him.”

 

Markus leveled a look towards her. “I think she would. They  _ defended _ each other. It seemed like an actual friendship.”

 

“Like fuck it was!” North’s hand cut through the air in a gesture of denial. “Just because a murderer isn’t waving a gun in your face right that second doesn’t mean he’s safe! Alice would know that!” 

 

Markus’ frown deepened. “It’s not as simple as that, North.” 

 

She narrowed her eyes, and the stubborn set to his face tightened. For a long moment they stared each other down.

 

… This could get out of hand. Josh shifted uneasily, and Simon coughed pointedly into his fist. It cracked the tension: both North and Markus glanced towards him before looking away--albeit, in North’s case, with a still-mutinous glare.

 

Markus said, “I’m signing off. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

 

“Good night,” Josh replied, voice crackling as the repaired throat settled in.

 

Markus smiled before vanishing in a flash of polygons.

 

“... It’s still bullshit,” North muttered, just loud enough for the rest of them to hear.

 

And, against every bit of better judgment Simon would have hoped Josh had, Josh replied. “It’s not bullshit to forgive people that are cruel to you. It’s strength. The world needs more of that.”

 

North glared at him, teeth baring. “Standing still while someone hurts you is  _ not _ strength.”

 

Josh turned to face her more squarely. “No, but giving them the chance to change  _ is _ .”

 

North narrowed her eyes at him, opening her mouth. Then… she closed it, lips thin. “This isn’t about forgiveness, Josh. This is about  _ befriending _ someone who’s treated you like shit.”

 

Josh shrugged, lifting his hands. “Markus said Sixty cared about her, too. Maybe he’s less horrible around her?”

 

North lifted her chin with a disdain she seemed to reserve for Josh’s choicest suggestions. “That’s not how people  _ work _ . But there’s an easy way to find out, isn’t there? … I have her contact info.” She was silent a beat. “I’ve been meaning to check in for a while, anyway.”

 

“... I have to go,” Connor murmured, making Simon jump. He’d forgotten Connor was even there. Connor had been standing as motionless and unobtrusive as a statue, like he was trying to melt into the scenery.

 

… Simon frowned faintly. Why was  _ he _ …?

 

“Good night,” Connor continued, reaching for his LED and vanishing before anyone could answer. Simon’s eyes narrowed, and he replayed the conversation in his head. North was complaining about--

 

…  _ Oh. _ Murderers that shouldn’t be trusted. 

 

That made sense.

 

\---

**North**

\---

 

North went to an out of the way trading post, then sent Alice a message asking her to meet North there. The response wasn’t immediate. North had time to cross her arms, uncross them, then pace once around the room. Then, finally... 

 

_ Alice would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N] _

 

_ [Y] _ . A shimmer of polygons. 

 

“North…!” 

 

There she was. For the first time in over ten days North took her in, paying attention to the little things. She had a big, unfriendly skull hanging by a bare loop of twine over her shoulder. Had she been wearing it in the forest? North thought she might have been, but she’d been too distracted to be sure. Alice also had a big, dark,  _ familiar _ hat that immediately stole North’s focus.

 

“...That’s new _ , _ ” she blurted. “Is that  _ Sixty’s _ ?”

 

Alice froze, arms half-lifted, and North realized too late that she’d been going for a hug.

 

“I mean,” North backtracked. Had she even said  _ hello _ ? “... C’mere, Alice.  _ Hi _ ... How are you?” She stooped, opening her arms in return. 

 

Alice closed the distance, if a bit more slowly, and North gave her the biggest bearhug she could. It lifted Alice’s feet off the ground, producing an ‘oof’ of surprise. But she was squeezing back just as tightly, and North felt something inside her chest unclench.

 

“I’m… good,” Alice said, coughing as she stepped back. She was smiling, now. “... You’re online.”

 

“I know,” North said, wincing. “I have to ask you: my friends and I…” Damn.  _ ‘My friends and I’ _ , like Alice hadn’t been trying to play with her for weeks. “... We were getting together to check up on Sixty--that cheap reject who was hurting people, you remember?--and my friend thought he saw you. Is that true?” 

 

Against all hopes (if not all expectations), Alice nodded, smile fading.

 

“...  _ Why _ ?” North demanded, unable to control the way her mouth twisted, or the way her voice raised. An instant later she really wished she had: Alice flinched.

 

“He’s… my friend…” Alice murmured, no longer meeting North’s gaze. “We play together.”

 

North made  _ sure _ her voice was quieter this time. “Alice...” She touched Alice’s shoulder and tilted her own head to catch her gaze, and Alice turned huge, doe-like eyes back on her reluctantly. “...you were  _ there _ in that forest. You’re the one who told us he was trying to hurt everyone. Markus said you even saw…”

 

Alice’s gaze had dropped again, and she was biting her lip now. “... Hey,” said North even more softly. Her hand lifted a little, wanting to tilt her face back up or squeeze her shoulder or--be  _ nice _ , somehow. North didn’t know how to reassure a child. She’d never even known a child besides Alice. 

 

“... I’m sorry. I’m just worried. Sixty is really dangerous. I don’t know what he’s been playing at with you, but whatever you think, he’s not your friend.” 

 

Alice’s brow furrowed. Her stare was fixed off to the side, and while the hat blocked half of her expression, what North could see wasn’t happy. Well… maybe she didn’t want to hear this, but she  _ needed _ to. Someone should have told her this a long time ago. Come to think of it… 

 

“...Alice. Has Kara told you anything about him?” 

 

Maybe Kara hadn’t heard yet. Maybe Markus had trusted that Alice would tell her, and hadn’t even followed up to check. That was irresponsible, but if Kara  _ did _ learn what had been going on, then surely--

 

North’s train of thought was derailed as Alice nodded.

 

“... What?” North blinked. “...What did she say?”

 

One of Alice’s shoulders twitched, as though suggesting a shrug but not completing it. “... If he yells at me I can shoot him,” Alice recited, voice soft but precise. She glanced around the trading post room, wiping one of her hands over her coat pocket. “... She also said if he’s mean, then I should tell her. But he hasn’t been mean. Connor’s… nice.”

 

“ _ Really _ ,” North said, crossing her arms and struggling to decide what to correct first: the name, or... “ _ Nice?” _

 

Alice paused, then grimaced, tilting her head in concession to North’s skepticism. “... He’s letting me borrow his hat?” she offered, hand hovering near its brim.

 

North rocked back on her heels, trying to think of words that could make her understand. “Alice… Sixty was designed to hunt people like us. To gain our trust. Even if he acts friendly, that doesn’t mean he  _ actually-- _ ”

 

_ Alice _ interrupted her. “He _ is _ nice. ...Sort of. He’s been teaching me to shoot.”

 

…  _ What _ ?

 

“... Teaching you to shoot?” North repeated. There was a sudden ache in her chest, and she tried not to think about when she and Alice used to practice. “Why--… Has he… actually--?”   
  


Alice nodded, continuing right through North’s scattered thoughts. “I’m a good shot, now. Better with my rifle. Sometimes I get to borrow his revolvers. I’m…” The frown had faded, and her lips twitched upward. “I’m learning pretty well.”

 

“I’m... sure you have been.” North shook her head a little. The practice--didn’t matter. Maybe Sixty was getting something sinister out of this. Maybe he had an angle. “Has he been asking you to shoot things for him now?”

 

Alice tilted her head, smile fading. “... Targets?”

 

“What about people?” North prompted. “Did he tell you to shoot Simon for him?” 

 

“No…” Alice chewed on her lip, eyes skittering away. “I--He was... going to shoot Connor, so I…”

 

Alice’s LED blinked yellow before she could finish. After a moment she shook her head, apologetic. “... I have to go. It’s bedtime…”

 

“Oh.” 

 

Alice didn’t leave right away. She looked down at her hands, then off to the side, before tipping her head up just enough to meet North’s gaze past the brim of her hat.

 

“Um. So…”

 

North lifted her eyebrows, trying to look encouraging. (Even though from the hopeful expression on Alice’s face she could tell what she was going to ask. Even though they  _ needed  _ to talk about Sixty. Even though Alice kept missing North’s point.)

 

Alice took in a deep breath. “Would you… like to play again sometime? Now that you’re online more?”

 

There it was. Her schedule built up behind her eyes, pushing forward patrols and bodyguard duty and problem solving with Simon and every other urgent task that needed her help. She shook herself internally, forcing a tired smile. She was busy, but...she needed to  _ make _ time. This entire mess proved that.

 

“Of... course. Ah... what about--Monday?” If her meeting with Simon didn’t catch any problems, she should have a little time. “How does the afternoon sound to you?

 

Alice’s gaze lit up, and she nodded quickly, one hand coming up to hold her hat in place. “Sure!”

 

North’s smile grew, even as her eyes lingered on the hat. 

 

“North…” Alice tugged it over her hair more firmly, before letting her hand fall. “Um… If you and the others try again… I’ll try to shoot you last.”

 

Wait,  _ huh _ ? North’s eyes widened, stare snapping to Alice’s face. Was that the beginning of a  _ smile? _ North’s eyebrows shot upwards, mouth falling open in a mix of bafflement and disbelief.

 

“... What makes you think you’ll be shooting any of us?!” North managed. 

 

To her continued surprise, Alice held her stare, lips twitching up a little further. “... You aren’t very quiet,” she confided. 

 

_ What _ . “Why the--why would  _ that _ matter?” North sputtered. “We don’t need to hide to shoot that--” she fumbled, swallowing invectives “...him.” 

 

Alice giggled, stepping back and touching her LED. “Good night, North!”

 

“What-- _ Alice _ !”

 

She was gone.

 

\---


	4. The Victors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for PVP, guys! It's been a great ride. Be sure to leave a comment and a kudos if you enjoyed!

\---

**North**

\---

When they found Sixty the next day, he seemed to be alone. North and Connor split up to surround him, but he pulled his bandana over his nose and took off before they could close in.

North muttered a curse and dashed after. The rest of them followed. Then Sixty somehow slipped right past a pack of sleeping wolves, a fact they only realized as they barreled into the clearing, waking them all up.

“Shit,” North summarized.

Simon died that time. They all lost too much ammunition for any of it to have been worth it, and ended up brainstorming ways to keep it from happening again. North’s favorite moment was when Connor suggested using Josh and his weird invincibility as a body shield for the rest of them--even if Simon and Josh both went on to shut the idea down.

Since there was no time to keep looking for Sixty afterwards they called it a day. Josh and Connor returned to whatever state they were travelling through (Missouri? Kentucky?), and the rest of them signed off at Jericho.

The next session was luckier: not only did they find the right area in the first twenty minutes, they found Sixty only a few minutes after that. Alice _was_ there this time, the pair of them standing above a wooden contraption that looked half assembled. As soon as Markus came into view, both of them abandoned the box, LEDs flashing yellow in a silent exchange.

“Back already?” Sixty drawled, one hand drifting towards a holster as he stepped back toward the trees. Alice glanced his way… before turning, and running off.

‘ _Alice?’_ North messaged her.

‘ _:)’_ she sent back.

Well.

She couldn’t dwell on it, because Sixty continued: “How many failures _will_ it take before futility sets in?”

“Eat shit,” North gritted, leveling her rifle and squeezing the trigger. He moved out of the way just in time. Connor sped forward to cut off his retreat, but Sixty drew and fired as he turned: forcing Connor behind cover and slipping through the opening he left.

This time, Sixty led them straight past a disgruntled bear. North and Connor took care of it, but that was just the beginning. Next came a crumbling, unsteady ravine, one they only navigated by following his route. It was gritty, frustrating work, and North was frankly amazed he didn’t get away.

Then they ran into the rattlesnakes.

“Dammit!” North shot a snake that almost reached Simon, then danced out of another’s way while Connor shot it. “Shit--Markus, watch out!” Connor spun around at her call, stomping on the snake’s tail and shooting its head in a blur. “Nevermind.”

“That’s wolves, a bear, and now snakes,” Simon said darkly. “Who wants to bet that this was deliberate?”

“He’s clearly familiar with the area already...” Connor agreed.

“North!” Markus called. “Behind you--”

“I got it!” She shot the snake.

Josh sighed, nudging half-heartedly at a snake fastened around his ankle. Its fangs were embedded in his boot, but didn’t seem to be doing any harm. “... Why are we trying so hard to kill him, again? Sixty, I mean.”

“He challenged us!” North answered immediately. She paused to shoot another snake, turning on the spot. “We have to get him at least once.”

“Why? It’s not like we have anything to prove.”

“He deserves it,” North shot back stubbornly.

A trio of snakes distracted her, but it didn’t take too much longer to clear the route. At first North was certain they’d lost him, but Connor and Markus picked up footprints scraped in the crumbly, sandy ground. They caught sight of him not too far ahead, LED spinning yellow in conversation. He made a sound of theatrical annoyance, fired a shot that almost clipped her, and took off running.

Sixty led them down a mountainside, and was teasing the edge of the adjoining desert. Sometimes they got close enough to try to line up a shot, but he kept darting behind rocky outcroppings like he had eyes on the back of his head. It was more than improbable: North glanced up at a glimpse of movement, and spotted a small shape watching them from a ledge higher up. At her attention, the shape gave a friendly wave. North shook her head, gritted her teeth, and ran harder.

He was fast, but the evasive maneuvers were taking a toll. North grinned as her shot blasted a hole in the rock face to his left. There was a muffled curse and he veered rightward, crossing an open, sandy patch of ground. Markus put on a burst of speed to keep him in sight--and stumbled, looking down.

“Something’s...” Markus was slowing. By now Connor had reached him, and was starting to lag too. “Everyone stay back!”

“Why, what’s the problem?” North called back. Her pace stuttered when she felt the change: it was getting harder to lift her feet up. The sand was sucking her boots in, she was--she was _sinking. “_ What the--!?”

“Don’t come this way,” Simon called lowly, waving his arms as he laboriously took a step. As soon as he put his foot down it vanished halfway up to his knees. “It’s worse over here.”

“Is this _quicksand_?” Josh said.

“Quicksand doesn’t exist in deserts,” Connor replied immediately. His LED was a blinking, irritated blue, and he struggled to keep walking, even though by now the sand was well past his ankles. “There’s no water nearby, and there should’ve been signs--”

“...Video game, Connor,” Josh reminded him. Again.

“Heads up,” Markus warned. North jerked her gaze over, and saw that Sixty had circled back. He was spinning one of his stupid revolvers in one hand while the other pinned something small and feathered to his coat.

“ _Fuck_ ,” North hissed, shouldering her rifle. A gunshot promptly split the air, wrenching it out of her grip. The weapon dropped into the sand and promptly sank, disappearing out of sight. “Oh come _on_!”

Another gunshot. Connor’s rifle jumped in his grip, and he fought to regain control before a second shot knocked it away too.

“Is this really the best you can do?” Sixty scoffed. He stopped by the group’s side, feet pressed to the ground as easily as if it were solid. “What good news for the humans. They won’t have to lift a finger, and you’ll _still_ get yourselves killed.”

“You’re standing on the same sand as we are,” Markus asked. He was caught up to his knees now. “Why aren’t you sinking?”

“I wonder,” Sixty sneered back, pointed and deliberate before continuing. “Of course, one would think you’d be used to losing by now. How many times has it been, _North_?”

“Do us all a favor and delete yourself some more,” she snapped, fists clenching like teeth.

“Oh. Of course, how could I forget?” The fucker _smiled_ , a flash of white that she really wished she could punch. “You’re just a sore loser. All of this started because _you_ couldn’t accept not getting your way.”

“ _What_?” North’s mouth was opening and closing as she sputtered, “All of this _started_ because you wouldn’t listen!”

“I thought it was because he challenged us,” Simon muttered off to the side.

“He _did,_ ” North snarled furiously.

‘ _North, keep him distracted,’_ Connor sent the group chat silently. ‘ _Markus, give me your rifle.’_

With Sixty facing her, the other two were out of his immediate view. North almost looked past him to see what they were doing, but she narrowed her eyes and set her teeth instead, hoping it came off as angry, rather than distracted.

“Of _course_ I did.” Sixty was smirking. “And wasn’t I right? You--”

He broke off, snapping his revolver up to squeeze a shot off over his shoulder. North flinched, head jerking sideways to find that Connor and Markus had been caught in the act. Connor took a second bullet in the shoulder, and a third between his eyes. He crumpled to the sand.

To her right, Simon fumbled with his rifle’s action. Sixty pivoted and stepped back, catching him with a shot to the face. Just one step--but enough for Markus to flatten closer to the ground, swing his rifle like a club, and sweep Sixty’s legs out from under him. He went down _hard._

“Holy shit,” North gasped. “Shoot him, Markus--”

Sixty was already twisting, one hand snaking up with a revolver. Instead of raising his own rifle, Markus dropped it, grabbing the wrist of Sixty’s gun hand to drag him within reach. The same sand trapping Markus now stabilized his efforts. His expression was drawn, mouth an unhappy line, but he planted an elbow on Sixty’s core, wrestling for the other revolver while Sixty struggled more and more frantically, like a damn animal trying to get free--

\--a gunshot tore through the air, and Markus crumpled.

“ _Dammit_ ,” North cried, twisting. Alice was standing a few meters away, rifle smoking and eyes locked on Markus’ prone form. “... When did--have you been here this whole time?”

Alice didn’t answer, and it occurred to North that she looked--unsettled. Upset? The hat kept her from getting a good look, and she squinted closer. Before she could say anything else, Sixty rolled to his feet, slapping sand off his coat. “That was unnecessary,” he ground out, fooling absolutely no one. “I had everything under control.”

Alice shook her head, blinking hard and steadying a little. “He was going to...”

Like an _asshole_ , Sixty just sneered. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can handle _Markus_.”

“Hey, fuck you twice over,” North growled. “She just saved your ungrateful ass, Markus was about to kill you like a fly--”

Sixty shot her. The world immediately went dark.

\---

She opened her eyes to an open blue sky halfway up the mountain. Simon was leaning against a rocky outcropping nearby, inspecting his gloves’ fingertips. Markus was standing nearby, and Connor was nowhere in sight.

“I hate him so fucking much,” she declared.

”We noticed,” Simon answered. After a second or so he glanced over. “Out of curiosity, how many times are we planning to do this?”

“As many as it takes.” She glared at him, moving to push herself up, and paused as an outstretched hand appeared in front of her.

“You alright?” Markus asked.

North took the hand, hoisting herself up. “I’m fine.” They both let go, taking a step back, and she glanced him over. No damage to be seen. “... Where’s Connor?”

“Refilling his canteen,” Markus replied. “There’s a spring around that ridge if you’re interested.”

She shook her head, sending the chat a message. ‘ _Josh_ , _are you coming_?’ Her answer came in the form of a meeting request, and when he appeared he looked mulish.

“He really likes the sound of his own voice, doesn’t he?” he muttered. North snorted.

“We’ve got company,” Simon interrupted quietly. “Look.”

North followed his gaze down the path, where it threaded its way between boulders from a lower level ridge. There was a group of very tall, very physically imposing androids approaching, three men and two women. SQ800s weren’t common in Detroit, even now, but she knew enough to recognize them.

‘ _What do they want?’_ North sent the chat silently. ‘ _They’re coming this way.’_

“...We’re blocking the path.” Simon pushed away from the rock face and crossed over to a more open area. “Let’s get out of the way.”

They moved. The large androids continued, and true to Simon’s guess, they looked ready to walk on past.

At least, they did until Connor crested the ridge over them. The android closest to him swung his head up, then froze in surprise. “Hey…”

The others stumbled to a halt around him, following his gaze.

“Hey--hey, it’s him!” the SQ800 continued, pointing. “The Hunter! It’s one of those random encounters, holy shit!”

“One of those what?” North muttered, frowning. Connor had a pinched look that she’d started to recognize as strong discomfort, and he glanced back as though for a retreat. It was too late: in a group-wide ripple of sparkling polygons, all five androids grabbed their rifles from inventory and brought them up.

Wait. Did they think...

“Whoa, hold on!” Markus called, striding out with his hands lifted. “It’s fine. He’s with us.”

“He’s with _you_?” the android that’d been leading the group demanded. She raked a skeptical glance across North and the others, but otherwise stayed focused on Markus. “... He’s impossible to find. How did you do it?”

“How did we do what?” Markus said blankly. North wanted to groan.

“How did you find him?” said the android, jerking her chin Connor’s way. “How did you get him to stick around? Is there a hidden quest?”

“Not fair,” another SQ800 mumbled. “I never finished the Cabin quest…”

“ _What_?” Markus said. “What are you--”

“They think he’s Sixty, genius,” North hissed.

He glanced at her, then at the group, eyes widening. “ _Oh_. Wait, you--no, this is Connor, our friend. As you can see, he’s a player, not… ” He gestured a little awkwardly.

There was a beat of silence, before one of those overbuilt assholes said, “The Hunter’s disguised as a player these days! Why the fuck do you think it’s so hard to find him?”

“Ah,” Markus started. If this had been literally any other subject, she might’ve laughed at his expression of unpleasant realization. “That’s…”

“Let’s shoot him,” another SQ800 said. “Take the loot. Finish _whatever_ quest he’s attached to now.”

‘ _I’m going to sign off,’_ Connor announced silently.

‘ _That’s probably for the best,’_ Markus admitted.

‘ _Good night.’_ Quietly, Connor lifted his hand towards his LED. An SQ800 who hadn’t turned away gave a shout, and no less than three different rifles jerked up to shoot him point blank. Connor fell to his knees, bleeding blue all over.

“Hey!” Markus said, glaring. ”What was that for?”

“He was leaving, you didn’t have to do that,” Josh agreed.

“Exactly,” The leader replied, giving him a frown. Two of her friends immediately scrambled up the rock, probably to collect whatever rewards they were expecting.

“He didn’t do anything to you,” Josh pointed out, scowling back. “You just shot him. That was uncalled for.

“Uncalled for?” the SQ800 repeated, arching her eyebrows.

‘ _Let’s all call it a day,_ ’ Simon told the chat abruptly, clearing his throat out loud.

‘ _I agree,’_ said Markus reluctantly.

‘ _Me too. Josh...’_ North threw him a look at him, lips pursing.

Josh didn’t even glance over. “Yes, uncalled for! Not to mention careless. Do you think you’re going to complete quests just by going around shooting people?”

The leader of the SQ800s drew herself up, mouth pressed to a hard line and eyes narrowing. “We know exactly who we’re shooting. Trust a _civilian_ not to know how combat works even in a game.”

Josh spread his hands expressively. “You literally shot the wrong android! And you’re calling that success?”

‘ _Oh boy,’_ Simon sighed... as several rifles came back up.

\---

**Alice**

\---

The last of North’s friends vanished, and Alice lowered her rifle, breathing unsteadily out through her mouth. Connor spun his revolver before holstering it, looking around.

“...pointless,” he muttered, trailing off from the rant he’d been giving Josh. Alice considered the statement, then shrugged a little. He was probably right.

An unexpected message from Kara made her stop, LED switching yellow. ‘ _Alice, it’s time for bed.’_

Alice jerked her gaze down to the rifle in her hands, then to Connor, who was glancing at her temple. She bit her lip. ‘ _Five more minutes?’_ After a moment she hurriedly added, ‘ _Please? We were doing something, but we got interrupted. If I go we’ll have to start over.’_

_‘What are you doing?’_

Alice pressed her lips together, eyeing the sand. ‘ _I just shot Markus, but the quest was about rebuilding a puzzle box.’_

There was a pause.

_Kara would like to meet up with you. Accept? [Y/N]_

Alice accepted. Kara appeared in a shimmer that was almost lost in the desert’s brightness, and she looked around immediately, spotting both her and Connor.

She inclined her head at him briefly: watchful, but not currently accusing. “Connor.” He raised an eyebrow in response, folding his arms. She turned to Alice instead.

“What was this you just said about shooting Markus?”

Oh. Um--Alice glanced past her at Connor, but he simply arched the other eyebrow to match the first, looking decidedly unimpressed. She looked away, wringing the rifle between her hands nervously.

The summary was short. North had been bothering Connor. Then she and her friends showed up while Connor and Alice were practicing. They’d been following them and getting shot because of it ever since.

“... Have they said _why_ they’re doing this?” Kara asked plaintively. Alice hesitated, then shrugged, because they _had_ , but…

“The question of ‘who started it’ matters a lot less than ‘who’s going to end it’. And that’s going to be us,” Connor cut in, placing a gloved hand over his chest.

“O...kay,” Kara said slowly, looking from one to the other. She was silent for a moment, and Alice toed the sand with her boot. “... And… that’ll be all? No one’s actually getting hurt, you’re all just--fighting this out in a game?”

Connor made a face like she’d dropped a bag of garbage all over him, but Alice nodded quickly.

“That’s all,” Alice confirmed.

Kara was silent again. Then, “... Can I help?”

Alice straightened. _What_?

Connor’s eyes narrowed. “Help with what?”

“Help you defeat them.” Kara turned so she could look from Alice to Connor more easily, facing him while she spoke. “It sounds like Markus is being very annoying.”

Connor _stared_ , as if Kara’s vocal modulator had glitched while speaking. “...Don’t be ridiculous.” He seemed... off balance? “This isn’t your concern. Besides, we don’t need-- _help_.”

“It is my concern,” Kara replied calmly. She smiled. “I’m always interested in what Alice does, and the people she plays with.”

Alice felt like something light and shining had taken up inside her chest, like a miniature sun. When Kara shifted a little, Alice took her chance and stepped forward, clasping her hand. Kara squeezed it back tightly, smile warming as she glanced down at her.

When Alice looked back up, Connor was watching them, brow furrowed skeptically. “The _people_ ,” he repeated.

Kara looked back at him mildly. “Of course. You and I have talked already, haven’t we?”

They… had talked. Alice wasn’t supposed to know the details, but she’d listened in on what she could.

 _“… She’s a_ child _,” Kara had said. “She didn’t need to see any of that. Those injuries. The--_ torture _. She shouldn’t--”_

 _“I don’t know what you_ think _she saw,” Connor snapped. “But I didn’t make her stay for any of that. ...If it would soothe your agitated_ nerves _,” he added acidly. “I can promise you that I have no intention of re-creating any such disaster. All either of us can expect from now on are mutually beneficial deals.”_

 _Mutually beneficial_. Alice looked from Connor’s stiff shoulders, to Kara’s watchful gaze. Was Connor… worried Kara might be mad about the fighting? She wasn’t mad, though--not at Connor, and Alice inched a little closer to him in support. Connor glanced at her, expression blank. Then he sighed gustily, glancing Kara over. “How is your aim?”

“It’s passable,” Kara replied calmly.

Connor didn’t seem impressed, but he made a low sound to himself. “... I suppose you couldn’t make things _worse_ ,” he muttered. Alice straightened like a shot, spirits rising faster than her face could catch up with. Her smile wasn’t big enough to express the cheer warming her to her very toes. “Even if we’d have to change our strategies.”

Kara’s eyebrows floated upwards. “Great. I’d be glad to help,” she said dryly.

“Ask Alice to fill you in on tomorrow’s location. We’ll meet at five to go over our new plans and adapt as needed.”

“Five,” Kara repeated, nodding once. “That should work.” She was looking past him at nothing in particular, an odd sharp smile on her face. “I’m looking forward to it already.” Alice smiled also.

Kara turned to her, expression softening. “Now, it _is_ Alice’s bed time,” she explained, lifting her head just enough to include Connor. “Would leaving now throw off whatever it was enough that you couldn’t pick up tomorrow?”

Connor unfolded his arms, looking away from the two of them as though they weren’t there. “No, I’ll finish it on my own,” he said shortly. Alice opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure if the game would include her as having completed it if she wasn’t there. Then she shook her head internally. If it didn’t, then she’d just do it later with his help.

“Good night, Connor,” Alice said softly. He turned sharply away, disappearing in a wave of polygons.

Alice turned to Kara, who squeezed her hand. “Let’s go.”

They signed off.

\---

“You brought Luther,” Connor deadpanned as they approached the next day. The tall android was as obvious as the mountain they were climbing, and even at the tail of their little group, he stood head and shoulders above Kara. “Is this a family outing, now? Should I leave?”

“I thought a fourth person might be useful,” Kara replied, frowning. “Was I wrong…?”

Connor sighed through his nose, cutting Luther a sharp, sidelong look. Alice followed his gaze for a moment, but Luther was particularly inscrutable.

“Well,” Connor said, turning away without directly answering. “It doesn’t matter if there’s one of you or two. You were already going to have to wait at the ambush site to be of any use. If Markus and his lackeys see more people, they’re going to hesitate.”

“They’d change their plans,” Alice agreed quietly.

Kara nodded. “Alice told us.” She glanced up at Luther, hesitating for a moment before she squared her shoulders, putting one hand on her hip. “Just show us the area Alice described. We’ll wait out of sight.”

Connor rolled his eyes a little, but he turned and led the way down the rocky slope. Alice hurried a little until she drew even with him, then concentrated on walking as silently over the rocks as she could. Connor glanced down at her, brow creasing before his own careful steps quieted further. It sounded like Kara and Luther were walking alone.

‘ _What are you doing?’_

Alice shook her head a little, cheeks warming. ‘ _I haven’t had a chance to show Kara or Luther, so…’_

He shot her an odd look, but in the end didn’t say anything. This was probably for the best: their route took them over a particularly crumbly patch of shale next, and Alice had to concentrate completely on not kicking off tiny rockslides as she went. It was hard, but Connor wasn’t going as fast as he had during practice, and when she looked up Kara and Luther both gave her impressed smiles. Alice beamed.

They reached the ambush site, a bowl-like area with a path that snaked through the lower sections. Alice waved as Kara and Luther climbed up to the higher, craggier reaches, before turning to follow Connor back the way they’d come.

The quest they’d picked out in this area required them to collect a certain number of marked rocks. They found the cave drawings that activated the quest, then split up to search.

They hadn’t gotten more than a few markers in when bits of gravel scattered down past Alice from above. She glanced up, spotting a familiar set of silhouettes several switchbacks up the slope.

‘ _They’re here.’_ She sent Connor her location, darting under the cover of a large rock.

‘ _Start running. I’ll hold their attention.’_

_‘Ok.’_

She crept under overhangs and kept the bigger rocks between her and them, hearing no gunfire as she passed. Once she was well out of range she lagged a little, waiting--there. Rifle shots from the direction she knew Connor would be travelling, too frequent to all be from the same person. Her lips twitched, and she picked up her pace again, tugging her hat more firmly over her hair.

The plan was a variation on one they’d used several times before. Connor was bait. Alice would meet him for the ambush while Connor led the others on a merry detour, giving her time to get into position. For a moment Alice considered teleporting directly to Kara and Luther, like she hadn’t been able to before, but it would mean having to re-climb to the opposite side of the tiny valley, and then she’d be bored waiting.

She continued running. Her route cut through a ravine, winding back and forth with only a tiny crack overhead for light to filter through, illuminating--

\--an android twice her height, stepping out from behind a blind corner with something in his hands. Alice gasped, skidding to a stop, but she was too late to avoid him completely. She bounced off the giant android’s legs as he stepped forward, and he tripped, dropping the open vase. It cracked when it hit the sand, and something--water?--splattered over her coat and hair as she pushed herself to her knees, struggling to catch her breath.

A huge hand grabbed her by the back of her collar, all but flinging her out of their way. “What the _fuck_ is your problem, you little brat?!” the android shouted, and she cringed, feeling as though she’d been doused in ice. “Jesus, are we going to have to start over? Look what you fucking _did_!”

She shook her head vigorously, fighting for breath. She hadn’t _meant_ to. She was just--

“Hey, Stock,” said another android suddenly. “Is it just me, or ...does that kid look familiar?”

Oh no. Instantly the group around her fell silent, stares fixed on her like spotlights. ‘Pack mentality’, Connor had once said, and he’d been right: the SQ800s never had let go of that grudge...

“Yeah,” said Stock after a moment. “She looks just like that brat with the Ashwood Hunt--”

She darted under Stock’s elbow and raced away. Shouts erupted behind her.

“Look out, she’s getting away!’

“Goddammit--after her!”

Heavy footsteps. Voices that weren’t getting quieter, because she _wasn’t losing them_. Alice pressed her lips together, veering into a forest of rock spires, and continued as fast as she could. Maybe some of the narrow spaces here would help?

No good. She ducked behind cover, wove between obstacles, and still couldn’t shake them. Alice bolted through the pass into the ambush site just in time to see Connor entering the valley’s other side, coat billowing dramatically as he ran. His eyes landed on her, then past her, and widened. Too late Alice winced, realizing her mistake.

‘ _I’m being followed!’_ Alice sent her friends belatedly. _‘Help_!’

Connor answered by drawing his revolver and firing over her head. Alice ducked automatically, hearing the shouting around a faint ‘wha-thump’ of a body collapsing.

“Remember the plan,” Connor told her crisply. Then he teleported away, leaving her staring round-eyed at the familiar androids coming up behind _him_. North and the others were just as startled, and they looked past Alice with apprehensive grimaces.

Alice didn’t turn to see what sort of sight she and the angry SQ800s made. She sent a hurried meetup request and teleported to Luther, abandoning any plans of climbing up the valley’s opposite side.

She was just in time. The open area at the top of the ‘bowl’ materialized around her, and gunshots _roared_ in the valley below. Alice spun around to look.

It was chaos. North and her four friends from Jericho versus at least seven SQ800s. For North’s sake, Alice would have liked to say the battle was drawn out and that everyone had a fair chance. Unfortunately this just wasn’t true: both large groups were caught without shelter, and even as they shot each other Luther was shooting from beside Alice, and Kara and Connor were firing from a few dozen feet to Alice’s right. It was a _slaughter,_ and Alice barely had time to draw her own rifle, take aim, and snipe off the last standing SQ800. _‘Like fish in a barrel_ ’ echoed in Alice’s mind from one of her old books; the whole incident had started and finished in less than five seconds.

Josh alone remained standing over a pile of corpses when the gunfire quieted. His poncho was peppered with holes the sizes of big coins, and as Alice watched, Kara shot him again in the chest, then again. The third useless shot drew a barbed mutter from Connor, who broke cover to stride down the steep incline. Alice winced.

‘ _Sorry,’_ Alice sent her. ‘ _I forgot to warn you. He can’t die.’_

_‘Can’t die?’_

Alice nodded, then broke cover also. If she hurried, maybe she could help loot the bodies before they disappeared.

‘ _... Why?’_ Kara asked. ‘ _And--how?’_

Alice shook her head a little and shrugged. She knew it had to do with the Cyberlife AI, but… Connor hadn’t wanted to talk about it. She wasn’t sure she did either. By then she’d reached the nearest SQ800, and she focused on going through his pockets in short order.

“Get out of the way,” Connor ordered. Alice looked up, and saw Connor push Josh aside when he didn’t move.

“Hey!” Josh complained. “Why are you even doing this? What if you didn’t loot the bodies, have you considered that?”

Alice paused, looking guiltily down at the SQ800’s coin-purse she was holding. It was… a little mean. But this was still just a game, and people already lost stuff when they died. And they’d been mean in attacking them in the first place. It was fair for her to be mean back, right? Across from her, Connor was ignoring Josh completely, kneeling by North and whisking hands over her pockets. He took a few coins and vials before moving on.

… Alice bit her lip, took one coin, and put the purse back.

“Asshole,” Josh mumbled. He paused as Kara and Luther followed them down the slope. “... There’s _more_ of you?” Connor didn’t answer, and when Josh turned to Alice she pretended to be busy.

Josh turned to Kara. “Hi… Um--Have you all been in on this from the beginning?”

“No,” Kara replied, putting her rifle away. “We only heard last night. It sounded like fun, so we decided to join.”

“Really,” Josh replied. Alice glanced up as she moved slowly to the next body, and she found him looking from person to person. “... And you’re all good shots?”

Kara looked at him and at the bodies. “Good enough.”

Alice knelt by the body and glanced again. Josh was frowning, and he eyed them as Kara stood by Simon’s body. She and Luther weren’t looting, or anything, just--observing.

“Why are you helping them?” Josh asked plaintively. “This whole thing started as a grudge between North and Sixty. It doesn’t even have anything to do with the rest of us.”

Kara’s slight smile faded, and narrowed her eyes consideringly.

Josh went on, “All North wants is to shoot him at least once. If you guys just let her, maybe she’d stop.”

Alice straightened indignantly, and Connor stilled, expression twisting with something unpleasant before he turned.

“Your _friend_ ’s incompetence--or _ego_ \--is hardly my concern.” He regarded Josh, unblinking, before his teeth flashed in disdain. “Have you considered target practice? You’d make a nearly useful prop.”

“... I’m not saying you should _lose_ ,” Josh stressed, pressing his hands together as though praying for patience. “What I’m saying is you should--throw her a bone. If you don’t want this to go on longer--”

“Who here gave you the impression that we’re ready to stop?” Connor snapped. “We’re just getting started. If you’re tired of _losing_ , I suggest you pick a different past-time.”

Josh dropped his hands, pressing his lips together. After a moment he turned an entreating look on Kara and Luther, as though hoping for help from that direction.

Kara considered him for a moment. “... Who’s Sixty?”

Josh pointed.

“Oh. His name is Connor.”

It wasn’t an answer, but Kara seemed satisfied. Josh, meanwhile, looked frustrated, and Alice smiled, turning back to her task. The body she was kneeling beside vanished before she could get far. Everyone had died in such a short timespan that the rest disappeared in quick succession, so she pushed to her feet, making her way over to Kara.

“That was fun,” Alice told her quietly.

Kara smiled. “That was a _lot_ of fun,” she said (voice loud enough to carry), holding out her arms. Alice buried herself in the hug. “More than I was expecting.”

“You weren’t bored waiting?” Alice stepped back, putting her rifle away belatedly.

Kara shook her head. “We weren’t by ourselves,” she explained, smiling at Luther. He smiled back, eyes creased with the expression, and Alice felt warm seeing them together. “... It gave us time to talk.”

“Oh,” Alice said. “That’s good.”

Connor cleared his throat, crashing into the gentle moment like a ship through a very small iceberg. “It’s time to move on. “Statistically they’re likely to try at least one more time this evening. Alice and I will go to the next area, and you can meet up with her once we’ve arrived.”

Kara and Luther both nodded. Alice returned the gesture, bringing a hand to her LED. “See you--”

A gunshot trimmed her words off, making everyone jump. Everyone except _Connor_. He fell to his knees, then to the ground, bleeding from an open wound in his back.

Alice snatched her rifle out of inventory and whirled, shooting Josh in the shoulder. He dropped his rifle, lifting his good arm in surrender. “I’m done! I’m done. Sorry, I won’t shoot anyone else.”

“Why did you do that?” Alice asked, lining another shot up toward his face. “You said you weren’t going to fight.”

Josh shook his head, grimacing slightly. “I told you. This was the only way for it to stop. You know how North is.”

“I _like_ playing with North,” Alice told him, feeling like her chest was wrapped in brambles. She felt _sharp._

“... Well… You can still play with her, sometime…” Josh’s hand hovered over his many wounds, before settling awkwardly at his damaged shoulder. ”The rest of us were ready to be done.”

Alice narrowed her eyes, saying nothing.

Kara stepped forward, drawing her own rifle. “... I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Josh winced, looking from face to face. Alice stared as hard as she could when he looked at her, and he grimaced, sighing.

“... I guess that might not have been-- _completely_ fair,” Josh admitted. “Is there some way I can make it up to you?”

Kara twitched one eyebrow, jaw set with obvious judgment. “Is there?”

“Um…” Josh glanced down at the body, which was lying in an exaggerated pool of blue at this point. He turned to Alice. “I… don’t know?”

“You cheated,” Alice told him. “You shouldn’t do that.”

“I know. I’m, uh, sorry.”

… ‘Sorry’ didn’t make up for this. Besides, he was apologizing to Alice, but Connor was the one he’d tricked. If Alice was being nice, she would accept the apology like she was supposed to, but if she was being _fair…_

A gentle hand on her shoulder pulled Alice from her thoughts, and she glanced up. Kara gave her a serious nod, before turning to Josh.

“Come back tomorrow.”

“Uh…” Josh glanced at Alice and back. Alice had no answers: she looked up at Kara, feeling strangely disappointed. “... Okay. I’ll--see you then?”

“Goodbye,” said Kara.

No one offered anything further, and after a few seconds Josh puffed his cheeks out awkwardly, teleporting away.

“Kara, why--?” Alice asked softly.

Kara held up a finger. “Wait.” She closed her eyes, and her LED spun a busy yellow for a few seconds. Alice waited, wincing as a message appeared in the corner of her view.

_‘Where is he?’_

Connor. He sounded... mad. She hesitated over the prompt, glancing up at Kara--just in time to see her open her eyes, LED switching back to blue.

“Let’s go meet up with Connor, now.”

It wasn’t an answer--for her or Connor. But Kara was smiling, and she looked like she had a plan. Alice glanced at Luther, who nodded encouragingly. “... Okay.” She swallowed, sending the meetup request.

It took several seconds before the world around them blurred, reforming into the small field at the base of the mountain. When they got there, Alice had an instant of uncertainty. Connor’s hands were closing and opening, frame lined with a furious energy as he turned on his heel and took a step their way.

“That miserable fucking defect collected what scraps of sense he had and ran, didn’t he?” Connor seethed. The words were vicious, and Alice stayed quiet. “How typical. They preach and preach, but when it comes to actual--”

“--He’s gone, but he’ll be coming back tomorrow,” Kara cut in.

Connor jerked his gaze towards her, but if anything, he looked angrier. “Come back for _what_? Another of their bullshit--” He broke off again when Kara raised a hand. “ _What?”_

“I asked him to come back, because I knew there was a call I could make.”

“A call,” Connor repeated.

Kara nodded, lips twitching upward just a little. “I contacted Oregon Trail’s help line. They were very interested to learn that there was a PJ500 with an illegal invincibility hack, and they told me they’d have it fixed by morning.”

Alice’s jaw dropped, and she swung around to look at Kara. Had she really just…

“...Tomorrow morning,” Connor’s voice came from the side. “As in, before he returns.”

“Exactly.” Kara smiled. “I don’t know if he’ll be notified when he logs on, but… It should make things interesting.”

Connor was silent for several long seconds. Alice didn’t so much as glance his way, stunned as though she’d had a barrel of powdered sugar dumped over her head.

“Kara, _you’re so cool,”_ Alice murmured reverently. Kara laughed, pulling Alice in for a small hug.

“Thank you, Alice.”

“That’s--” Connor finally said. Alice turned in Kara’s arms, and she could see his LED blinking furiously. “... That might be salvageable.”

“I’m glad.” Kara gave Alice one last squeeze before letting go. “If that’s all for tonight, I have a few things to do before it’s Alice’s bedtime. Will you two be all right to finish up here?”

Alice nodded quickly, glancing up at Connor. He wasn’t smiling, but that particular scowl looked less unhappy than usual.

Alice smiled back at Kara. “We’ll be fine.”

\---


End file.
